BEIRUT: Activists yesterday said that theKuwaiti commander of an Al-Qaeda-linked group was killed while fightinggovernment troops and Hezbollah fight-ers inside Syria. The Britain-based SyrianObservatory for Human Rights said AbuAzzam Al-Kuwaiti, a leader of the NusraFront, was killed late Friday in fightingaround the western town of Yabroud.

Amer Al-Qalamouni, an activist in thearea, and the Observatory said yesterdayAl-Kuwaiti was a key mediator for therelease of a dozen nuns held by rebelsearlier this week. His death came asSyrian forces and Hezbollah fightersadvanced in rebel-held Yabroud near theLebanese border amid heavy bombard-ment from warplanes, artillery and tanksas the country’s bloody conflict markedits third anniversary yesterday, statemedia and activists said.

The conflict, which began amid ArabSpring protests across the region, startedoff as protests that turned into an armedinsurgency and eventually became a full-blown civil war that activists say haskilled more than 140,000 people and hasseen 2 million people flee the country.Peace talks between the government ofPresident Bashar Al-Assad and Syria’sdivided opposition haven’t found adiplomatic solution to the crisis, whichhas seen sectarian violence rise as Islamic

extremists entered the fight.The main Western-backed opposition

group, the Syrian National Coalition,vowed in a statement yesterday markingthe conflict’s third anniversary “to bringdown the Assad regime that is the mainsource of the Syrian people’s suffering”.The coalition’s chief Ahmad Al-Jarbaattacked Assad’s main backer Iran, as wellas Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Shiite fight-ers who came from Iraq to fight with

Continued on Page 13

2

SUBSCRIPTIO

N

Max 26ºMin 16ºHigh Tide12:29 Low Tide06:22 & 18:20

40 P

AG

ESN

O: 1

6106

150

FILS

12,000 participate in NBK Walkathon 11

US re-indicts Indian diplomat on visa fraud 21

‘China’s Twitter’ Sina Weibo files for IPO in US 20

Advantage ten-man City as nine-man Chelsea crash

SUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014 JAMADA ALAWWAL 15, 1435 AH www.kuwaittimes.net

Oppn launches rebranded

Popular Action Movement

Barrak strongly criticizes ruling family, Assembly

By B Izzak

KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti opposition, which boycotted theprevious two parliamentary elections in protest againsta controversial electoral law, yesterday launched a newpolitical group - the Popular Action Movement. Veteranopposition figures including former speaker Ahmad Al-Saadoun, former opposition MP Musallam Al-Barrak anda number of leading politicians are among the mainmembers of the new group that had been operating asthe Popular Action Bloc for the past several years.

In a hard-hitting speech, Barrak strongly criticizedthe ruling family, saying it has failed to run the affairs ofthe government and called for introducing an electedgovernment that should come through the ballot box-es. Barrak said that it is an illusion for the ruling family tothink that it can rule the country through the single-vote law, a dummy Assembly, politicizing of the judici-ary and using political money and riot police.

“We are demanding an elected government that issubject to the supervision of the people and whichshould come through the ballots,” Barrak told the gath-ering that was held at Saadoun’s diwaniya after a book-ing at a local hotel was cancelled a few days ago. Barrakclaimed that Kuwait is passing through its worst politi-cal era which means criticism is not sufficient and “wehave to work jointly with other political groups”. Heannounced that the new movement (Hashd in Arabic)will extend its hands for cooperation with all groups.

The outspoken former lawmaker alleged that there isa suspicious alliance between the “merchants of corrup-tion and merchants of power”, adding that Kuwait isbeing destroyed and its wealth stolen. Barrak ridiculedthe government’s statement that the welfare state isover, saying that the government has been sending “ourmoney abroad to support dictators”. He said the currentstruggle in Kuwait is a struggle between the supportersof the state and those of sheikhdom, and the former willemerge victorious.

Continued on Page 13

KUWAIT: Former speaker Ahmad Al-Saadoun speaks during the launch of the new Popular ActionMovement at his diwaniya yesterday. (Inset) Opposition leader Musallam Al-Barrak addresses thecrowd. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Top Kuwaiti fighter killed in Syria

Forces enter rebel bastion • Conflict enters 4th year

Abu Azzam Al-Kuwaiti

KUWAIT: A rainbow arcs over Kuwait City yesterday after heavy rain. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUALA LUMPUR: A missing Malaysian airliner wasapparently deliberately diverted and flown for hoursafter vanishing from radar, Prime Minister Najib Razaksaid yesterday, stopping short of confirming a hijackbut taking the excruciating search for the jet intouncharted new territory. Najib said investigatorsbelieved “with a high degree of certainty” that sys-tems relaying Malaysia Airlines flight 370’s location toair traffic control were manually switched off beforethe jet veered westward in a fashion “consistent withdeliberate action”.

But a grave-looking Najib told a press conferencewatched around the globe that he could not confirmwhether the plane had been forcibly taken over.“Despite media reports that the plane was hijacked, Iwish to be very clear: We are still investigating all pos-sibilities as to what caused MH370 to deviate from its

Continued on Page 13

Jet’s disappearance ‘deliberate’

MEDAN: An Indonesian student writes a messageexpressing prayers and wishes for passengersonboard missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370yesterday. — AFP

CAIRO: Egyptian military police soldiers run towards a checkpoint attacked bygunmen in Shubra Al-Kheima, a suburb north of Cairo, yesterday. -—AP

CAIRO: Gunmen killed six soldiers at aCairo checkpoint yesterday in a brazenattack which the military blamed on theMuslim Brotherhood movement ofEgypt ’s deposed Islamist presidentMohamed Morsi. The attack came twodays after gunmen killed a soldier inCairo, as militants once based in the SinaiPeninsula increasingly widen attacks thathave killed more than 200 security mensince the army overthrew Morsi last July.

The assailants opened fire on militarypolicemen yesterday as they were finish-

ing their dawn prayers and then plantedtwo bombs to target first responders,the military said in a statement. Thehealth ministry said six soldiers werekilled. Live television footage showedmilitary sappers safely detonate a bombnear the checkpoint in the northernneighbourhood of Shubra al-Kheima.One of the devices was placed next to adead soldier’s body, a private televisionstation quoted an interior ministry offi-cial as saying.

Continued on Page 13

Six troops killed

in Cairo attack

WASHINGTON: The US government announcedFriday it was giving up its key role overseeing theInternet’s technical operations, handing over thosefunctions to “the global multi-stakeholder commu-nity”. The move “marks the final phase of the privati-zation” of the management of the Internet domainname system, said a statement from the USCommerce Department.

The US agency called for “global stakeholders todevelop a proposal” for a transition to a new planwith the Internet Corporation for Assigned Namesand Numbers, a non-profit group that took oversome of the functions in 1997 under an agreementwith the US government. The decision comes withWashington under pressure following revelationsabout vast surveillance programs operated by thesecretive National Security Agency to collect intelli-gence and other data through a variety of methods.

ICANN leaders said during a conference call thatthe move by the US was a sign that the organizationhas matured and that it was in the works long

Continued on Page 13

US giving

up Internet

oversight

L O C A LSUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: More than 12,000 people participat-ed in the annual National Bank of Kuwait (NBK)Walkathon yesterday. This year’s slogan was ‘IfWe Can Make a Change, So Can You’. Suddenheavy rain along with hail fell in the middle ofthe race, but by the arrival of most categoriesto the finish line, the rain had stopped.

This was the 20th year of the walkathon.The number of participants increases everyyear, and this year saw an increase of 2,000people in all categories. “When the NBKWalkathon first started, one car was given to alucky participant by a raffle draw. In 2012, weincreased the number to two vehicles, and thisyear we are giving away three brand newCitroen C-Elysee 2014 model vehicles,” Talal Al-Turki, PR Officer at NBK, told Kuwait Times yes-terday.

A new feature was also added this year. “Wesimplified the registration process for partici-pants, who were able to register online for thefirst time. This saved time for both the partici-pants and NBK staff as well. Furthermore, dur-ing the celebration we announced 10 winnersof tickets to the FIFA World Cup 2014 that willtake place in Brazil. Each winner will get twotickets,” added Turki.

The draw took place at the finish point atGreen Island. The celebration also includedannouncing the names of 80 winners of the

walkathon - 10 winners in each category - whoreceived medals. They also received cashprizes worth KD 300, KD 200, KD 100 and KD50 for the last seven finishers in each category.Other prizes were given to attendees as well.

The walkathon started in the morning withthe children at Green Island. The participatingkids were divided into four categories accord-ing to their ages from 5 to 14 years old, wear-ing jerseys with new colors this year - neonpink, orange, purple and neon green.

The walking distance was different for eachof the three categories. The kids (Zeina FriendsClub) walked 1 km only and started at 10:00am. The women walked 6 km and started at14:15 pm from Marina Crescent, while the menwalked 8 km and started at 15:00 pm from theScientific Center (Ras Salmiya). All categoriesended at Green Island.

Participating women were also in four cate-gories. At 2:15 pm, the women in light blue(ages 15-20) flagged off from Marina Crescent.They were followed by the women in the yel-low group (ages 21-35) at 2:30 pm. They werethen followed by the third and fourth cate-gories in red (ages 36-49) and pink (ages 50and above) at 2:45 pm.

The men kicked off at 3:00 pm from theScientific Center starting with the eldest cate-gory, and the youngest category kicked off at3:30 pm. They were also divided into four cate-gories - dark blue (ages 15-20), white (ages 21-

35), green (ages 36-49) and burgundy (ages 50and above).

The participants praised the organizationof the walkathon, but many were confusedabout the position they ranked. “I arrived 10thbut I was not given any ticket with a numberas I expected. The woman after me was givena ticket with number 11, and when I asked,they said I’m the 10th but I will get the num-ber later. So I’m confused, especially that this ismy first time participating in this event,” said aparticipant form Ukraine who didn’t want tomention her name.

Salem Al-Kandari, who was participatingfor the second time in the NBK walkathon,expressed satisfaction with the general organ-ization and wondered if the judges really reg-istered the winners correctly. “When I arrived, Iwasn’t given any number, but the judge at theend point said I’m one of the first 10 in my cat-egory. So I hope that the judges have regis-tered me right,” he pointed out.

The race didn’t witness any seriousinjuries. According to paramedics present,they only dealt with few light foot injuries.“ We only treated about 13 injuries, andmaybe some older participants may sufferhealth problems later. We are six paramedicsworking here in this tent, and there are fourambulances on the road along the race track,”said Ghalib Masoud, a paramedic in a tentnear the finish line.

KUWAIT: The annual walkathon of the National Bank of Kuwait in progress. —Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

12,000 participate in NBK Walkathon

L O C A LSUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

By A Saleh

KUWAIT: The government does not have anyproblems with a parliamentary probe into theclean fuel project’s tender, but plans to go aheadwith the project anyway in order to avoid poten-tial losses in case of delays. Kuwait NationalPetroleum Company had announced last monththat it awarded a $12 billion project to British, USand Japanese-led consortia to boost capacity atoil refineries and make production more environ-mentally friendly.

Several MPs has since proposed forming acommittee to investigate the awarding processand rule out allegations of irregularities. “Thegovernment will not stand against the proposal ifthe parliament approves it as it is assured aboutthe awarding process and has nothing to hide,”said sources familiar with the government’sthinking. The government also does not plan toobject a potential request to assign the AuditBureau to look into the project, said the sourceswho spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The Mina Abdullah I project was awarded to aconsortium led by Britain’s Petrofac for $3.8 bil-lion, Mina Abdullah II to US Fluor-led consortiumfor $3.4 billion while Mina Al-Ahmadi went toJapan’s JGC Corp-led consortium for $4.8 billion,according to KNPC.

KPC structureIn related news, the Kuwait Petroleum

Corporation launched efforts to implement acourt order that reinstated three senior officialsthat were sacked in the aftermath of the DowChemical fine payment. Sources suggested that anew organizational structure could be estab-lished to allow Nasser Al-Mudhaf, Shatha Al-Sabah and Ali Al-Hajri to return, since their previ-ous posts have already been filled.

Other scenarios discussed include a plan torehire the three officials as advisors, but the pro-posal faced rejection based on the notion that itwould be ‘circumventing the ruling’, according tothe sources. Former oil minister Hani Hussein hadreferred Mudhaf, Sabah and Hajri for retirement

last year as punishment in the aftermath of theparliament’s rejection of KPC’s decision to pay a$2.16 billion fine to Dow Chemical. The amountwas enforced by International Court ofArbitration of the International Chamber ofCommerce (ICC) over a unilateral decision by theKuwaiti government to withdraw from a jointventure in 2008.

The case continues to generate reactions fromthe parliament, the most recent of which camefrom MP Yaqoub Al-Sane who urged Oil MinisterAli Al-Omair yesterday to “bear his responsibili-ties” to reinstate the three officials.

Speaking of the Dow Chemical fine, sourcesrevealed that several MPs plan to submit arequest to Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem to callfor a special debate to discuss the Audit Bureau’sinvestigation report regarding the K-Dow casewhich was referred to both the legislative andexecutive authorities last week. The sources, whospoke on the condition of anonymity, did notprovide the names or number of MPs whopushed for the session to be held either in Aprilor May.

KIA companyHead of the parliament’s budgets committee

Adnan Abdulsamad revealed “serious informa-tion” speculating the sale of a Kuwait InvestmentAuthority-affiliated company, and demandedanswers from Finance Minister Anas Al-Saleh.Abdulsamad did not specify the name of thecompany in question, but Al-Rai daily reportedyesterday that it is the Kuwait MotoringCompany. “The KIA, which owns 98 percent ofthe company, has offered it for sale in a publicauction,” said sources quoted in the report. TheKuwait Motoring Company owns nearly KD 4million in assets in local banks, in addition tolands in different locations around Kuwait, thesources said.

Constitutional amendmentsThe Constitutional Unity Bloc announced a

seminar next Tuesday to discuss a proposal toamend article 80 of the Kuwaiti constitution, fea-

turing MPs Sane, Saud Al-Huraiji, Yousuf Al-Zalzalah and Abdullah Al-Tamimi. The proposalcalls for increasing the number of elected MPsfrom 50 to 75. Speaking of amendments, MPHamdan Al-Azmi released a statement yesterdayindicating that the only constitutional amend-ment he would support is one that “improvesfreedoms” and “provide further guarantees forjustice and equality” in Kuwait.

Committee meetingsThe legislative committee meets today to dis-

cuss a proposal to lift MP Mohammad Al-Enezi’simmunity, and puts the final touches on the lawto establish companies to build power plantsbefore submitting it to the parliament. The com-mittee also discusses a proposal that calls for thegovernment to pay unemployment allowance toa Kuwaiti citizen after five months of waiting foremployment, and another that bans expatriates’recruitment in state department unless in jobsthat suffer shortage in national manpower.

Meanwhile, the public facilities committeediscusses proposals to establish the public trans-portation authority and the environment protec-tion law, while the housing committee discussesrecommendations mentioned during last week’sKuwait Housing Conference.

Separately, head of the negative phenomenacommittee MP Azmi said that the panel will dis-cuss several topics related to public moralitytomorrow, mainly demands to stop women’semployment at pool clubs and “put an end todance parties organized by local companies”.

Fake companiesIn response to inquiries Azmi made over pro-

cedures against fake companies, Minister ofSocial Affairs and Labor Hind Al-Subaih explainedthat a company is closed if evidence is found thatit practices an activity that is different than whatit is licensed for. The procedures also includecoordination with the Immigration GeneralDepartment to deport workers brought by com-panies that do not have a physical presence, afterthese fake companies are closed.

Govt plans to go ahead

with clean fuel project

Moves to avoid potential losses

KUWAIT: Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah on behalf ofSheikha Futooh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah hosted yesterday an open house of Zakat Houseofficials, who are caretakers of the 6th orphans forum 2014. The open house was attended by orphanssponsored by Zakat House from Sri Lanka, Morocco, Lebanon, Egypt, Sudan, Kyrgyzstan, Indonesia,Djibouti, Mauritania, Kenya, Kosovo, Yemen, and Bangladesh.

KUWAIT: The government opened an investi-gation into the reasons why local authoritiesselected two clinics each in Jordan and Egypt,where workers can have medical tests neces-sary to issue a Kuwaiti visa. Kuwaiti authoritieshave agreements with medical clinics aroundthe world where labor forces can undergomedical tests and obtain a medical clearancerepor t necessar y to issue a visa to enterKuwait.

In Jordan’s case, Kuwait used to have anagreement with 10 clinics around the kingdomwhere a medical test costs a fee equal to KD30. But that was recently changed, as the num-ber of certified clinics was narrowed to onlytwo, each of which collecting 600 JordanianDinars (KD 230) per transaction.

The reasons why the major changes weremade are not clear, and the government plansto find out in the near future. “The Cabinet

arranged to be briefed by Ministry of Healthofficials about the issue, with the possibility ofpunitive measures to be taken in case misman-agement was confirmed,” said governmentsources quoted by Al-Qabas yesterday.

The sources who spoke on the condition ofanonymity added that the investigation is setto include Egypt “where the same thing hap-pened three years ago and no action has beentaken since then.”

Probe into increased expats medical test fees

KUWAIT: The Commercial Bank of Kuwaitsponsored a football competition for thedeaf, organized by the Amal Boys Schoolstarting from today and through March 20.

“It is our pleasure to sponsor the AmalFootball Tournament for the Deaf whichhighlights the rights of people with spe-cial needs to practice all activities equal-ly,” said Amani Al-Waraa, the AssistantGeneral Manager - Public Relations andAdvertisement Department.

“Sponsoring the event comes as partof the CBK’s commitment to supportsocial activities, especially those con-cerned with people eager to give andintegrate with their society,” Al-Waraaadded.

CBK sponsors football

competition for deaf

Amani Al-Waraa

TOKYO: The visit of Kuwait-JapanParliamentary Friendship League to Japanrepresented an opportunity to enhancerelations between the two nations in alldomains, head of the Kuwaiti delegation MPDr Khalil Abdullah said at the conclusion oftheir visit.

Their meetings with Japanese officialsand parliamentarians, including ForeignMinister Fumio Kishida and House ofRepresentatives Speaker Bunmei Ibuki,highlighted the shared desire to boostdeep-seated Kuwait-Japan friendly andcooperative ties, Dr. Abdullah told KuwaitNews Agency (KUNA). The discussions alsotouched on a possible review of Kuwait’soffset program, which has been a majorobstacle hindering Japan’s investment inthe Gulf country. “We will work toward theimprovement of the offset program tohelp increase Japanese investments in ourcountry,” he said.

“Moreover, to produce concrete out-comes with an eye to implement jointprojects that benefit both countries, ourteam visited various facilities, where welearned about Japan’s expertise and expe-rience, and explored ways of mutual coop-eration.” The team inspected the CancerInstitute Hospital of Japan, an integratedcontrol center for Tokyo subway networksystem and the country’s first full-fledgedocean wind farm.

Furthermore, the Kuwaiti legislators

were invited by the Japanese governmentfor a memorial service to commemoratethe third anniversary of the 2011 GreatEast Japan Earthquake on March 11, inwhich Emperor Akihito and Prime MinisterShinzo Abe attended.

Following the twin disasters, Kuwaitdonated 5 million barrels of crude oil toJapan, equivalent to some $500 million, tosupport its reconstruction work.

Hailing strong Kuwaiti-Japanese rela-tions, Dr. Abdullah said Kuwaiti andJapanese peoples hold positive feelingstoward each other. “I also learned how theJapanese people and officials respect HisHighness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh SabahAl-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and appreci-ate Kuwait’s support to the country in thewake of 2011 earthquake-tsunami disas-ter.” He also underlined Japan’s role in lib-erating Kuwait from the 1990-1991 Iraqiinvasion.

Meanwhile, Dr Abdullah expressed hisspecial thanks to Kuwaiti Ambassador toJapan Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi for hisefforts in facilitating the visit, and roles inpromoting and strengthening Kuwait-Japan in all fields.

The Kuwaiti delegation, which alsoincluded MPs Faisal Al-Duwaisan andMajed Al-Mutairi, arrived in Tokyo onSunday. Their visit came after the Japanesemembers of the friendship league visitedKuwait last month. —KUNA

MPs’ visit helps cement

Kuwait-Japan relations

KUWAIT: Secretary-General of the ArabPlanning Institute (API) Bader Malallahstressed here yesterday the significanceof small and medium-sized enterprises tothe economic growth process.

Addressing the 3rd Kuwait InvestmentForum held here, he said small-sizedenterprises have existed since the 1980sas a core element for boosting the com-petitive edge at the market, adding thatsmall and medium-sized enterprises havebecome a key catalyst for economicgrowth in most world countries.

Small-sized enterprises should beviewed as a basic component of nationaleconomy, rather than as some sort of lux-ury and grandeur, he added.

He listed some challenges facingsmall-sized enterprises as general finan-cial conditions, labor market, economicreforms, governmental activity hegemo-ny over economy and absence of the pri-

vate sector’s role.Now that Kuwaiti young people make

up 70 percent of the Kuwaiti people andcan play a key part in economic growth,an unequivocal and clear-cut strategyshould be developed in order to promotesmall-sized enterprises and to provide acongenial investment atmosphere, heremarked.

In this context, the Arab PlanningInstitute (API) has suggested an initiativeto promote the cultural aspect and sup-port national capabilities, Malallah point-ed out.

On his part, the director of the small-sized enterprise section of the Manpowerand Government Restructure Program,Fares al-Enezi called for creating strategicopenings for investing the capabilitiesand energies of young people.

To push forward small-sized enterpris-es, it is imperative to begin redressing

imbalance in the manpower structure asKuwaiti constitute 96 percent of man-power in the public sector and only fourpercent in the private sector, he pointedout.

He also called for creating more jobsin small and medium-sized enterprisesand for paying more heed to educationoutput.

Speakers at the two-day forum enti-tled: “Investment Atmosphere in Kuwait...Available Opportunities”, include acade-micians, experts, analysts and specialistswho are expected to expound on the cur-rent financial situation in Kuwait and theoverall region.

The participants will mainly discusssmall and medium-sized enterprisesthanks to their significance to the devel-opment process in general and theirability to make use of Kuwaiti youthenergies. —KUNA

API chief underscores

small-sized enterprises

L O C A LSUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: The French Institute of Kuwait ‘InstitutFrancais’ is holding the Francophonie festival fromMarch 16 to 29. This cultural festival includes vari-ous activities such as art exhibitions, movies, playsand workshops. Francophonie is a global event asthe world celebrates the French language inMarch. “We are organizing these activities to pro-mote the French language. The French-speakingworld is very rich and diverse, and we aim to tellthe whole world how diverse it is. TheInternational Francophone Organization (OIF)gathers 77 countries around the world with 90million people. Oman and the United ArabEmirates are members of OIF too. We also cele-brate cultural and linguistic diversity, especiallysince French language has many forms,” stressedFrancois Brossard, Director and CulturalConsultant at the French Institute.

Many countries are participating in theFrancophphonie festival in Kuwait includingCanada, Switzerland, Egypt, Lebanon and others.“We are taking every effort to make this celebra-tion in Kuwait worth watching and enjoying. Wehope to have more Arab countries participating inthis festival and that this celebration will highlightthe importance of this language,” added Brossard.

French Ambassador Christian Nakhle highlight-ed the importance of the Francophonie festival topromote the diversity of French language in theworld. “Since I was a child, I realized how impor-tant it is to be in contact with other cultures and

languages. I’m sure people will enjoy and benefitfrom the rich program of events of this year’sFrancophonie festival that includes many activi-ties,” he noted.

“French is the second most widely spokenmother-tongue in Europe with over 77 millionspeakers after German (around 100 million).French is an official language of 29 countries andis one of the very few languages spoken all overthe world. It is ranked the sixth most widely spo-ken languages after Mandarin Chinese (over a bil-lion speakers), English, Hindi, Spanish and Arabic.There are currently over 220 million French speak-ers worldwide, including 72 million so-called par-tial French speakers,” Nakhle added.

Swiss Ambassador Etienne Thevoz said this fes-tival is a promotion of peace, law, social securityand democracy. “We know that these conceptsmean something in Kuwait, and we care to pro-mote these values. We have an exhibition of pic-tures on how to gather people,” he pointed out.

Ely Sy Beye, Counselor of the SenegalEmbassy, spoke about a summit that will be heldin Senegal soon and will promote women andyouth. “I hope this celebration will highlight theimportance of French language”. Yousif Khalil,first counselor of the Egyptian Embassy stressedthat French culture is very popular in Egypt.“French language spread in Egypt and theregion as well. Many students in Egypt studyFrench as their second language. Also in 2003, aFrench university was launched in Egypt. Egypthas always participated in the Francophonie fes-

tival since it started,” he explained.Antoine Eid, Counselor of the Lebanese

Embassy, expressed the strong ties betweenLebanon and France. “Lebanese people are knownto mix French words in Arabic sentences. TheLebanese nation can easily merge with other cul-tures. We like the French language and we thinkit’s our duty to spread French language and cul-ture. The French school in Kuwait has a great num-ber of Lebanese students which expresses ourpassion for this culture,” he stated.

The Francophonie festival includes:Francophonie Film Festival: March 23 ‘Rock The

Casbah (France-Maroc), March 24 Eloge Du Chiac(Canada), March 25 Le Destin (France-Egypt),March 26 Sur Le Chemin De L’ecole De PascalPlisson (France). All movies are screening at 8:00pm, at the Layla Gallery Theatre in Salmiya.

Photo exhibition: From March 16 - 19 ‘Legacies’photo exhibition (Canada) portraying Canadianwomen, held at Ahmad Al-Adwani Exhibition Hallin Dahiyat Abdullah Al-Salem, Block 3, San’a Street.March 20 -27 Exhibition of photography by JeanMohr (Swiss), celebrating the 150th anniversary ofGeneva Convention at Radisson Blu Hotel, DasmanHall. Workshops: March 18 and 19 JugglingWorkshop, at Loyac, Kuwait City, Ali Al-Salem Streetinside Qibliya School, from 5 - 8:00 pm. March 20Liaison Carbone, juggling art (France) at the KuwaitNational Museum at 7:00 p m. March 12 -27 DramaWorkshop Al Bassam Theatre, Salmiya Theatre block4, Hamad Al-Homaidi Street, 7:00 pm.

Wide participation inFrancophonie festival

Promoting diversity of French language

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK)has been awarded by Deutsche Bank theprestigious USD STP Excellence Award2013 and Euro STP Excellence Award 2013.The awards recognize NBK’s exceptionalquality in processing USD and Euro-denominated payments, as well as a highrate of STP transactions overall.

NBK maintained consistency through-out the high volume of remittances duringthe year whilst observing internationalstandards of payments quality. Thisachievement puts NBK in the top tier ofinstitutions Deutsche Bank works withglobally.

Deutsche Bank is NBK’s correspondentfor USD and Euro payments emanatingfrom commercial and customer remittancepayments. The Straight ThroughProcessing (STP) award is given to a selectfew international banks each year to high-

light their achievements in processing out-going payments.

NBK enjoys the highest credit ratings bythe major international rating agencies:Moody’s, Standard & Poor ’s and FitchRatings. In their latest reports, the threerating agencies affirmed NBK’s credit rat-ings with a stable outlook. NBK also main-tains its position among the 50 safestbanks in the world for the eighth time in arow.

NBK enjoys the widest banking pres-ence with an international network reach-ing 170 branches worldwide. NBK’s inter-national presence spans many of theworld’s leading financial centers includingLondon, Paris, Geneva, New York andSingapore, as well as China (Shanghai).Meanwhile, regional coverage extends toLebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Bahrain,Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Turkey

NBK wins prestigious USD and Euro Excellence Award

KUWAIT: Deutsche bank representatives presenting the award to NBK.

Etieune Thevoz, Christian Nakhle, Ely Sy Beye, Yousif Khalil, Antoine Eid KUWAIT: Francois Brossard during the conference. — Photos by Joseph Shagra

KUWAIT: In view of the high cost of KD 59million annually paid to provide meals inprimary schools, the Ministry of Educationis currently considering hiring chefs to cookthe meals in the schools where each schooladministration would be able to determinethe quantities needed in view of the actualnumber of pupils attending school eachday, which would, eventually reduce thecost of wasted meals on days with highabsentee numbers, namely those pre andpost vacations.

In this regard, informed educationalsources said that ministry officials are divid-ed over the proposal as some of them sug-gest going on with the current system, oth-ers suggest having central ‘kitchens’ in each

educational area while a third party sug-gests hiring chefs to cook the meals atschools under the supervision of both eachrespective school administration and thehealth ministry.

In addition, the sources said that theministry was also considering a proposalmade by minister Al-Mulaifi to have coop-erative societies run school canteens toprovide breakfast for school kids duringschool hours as well as provide the sameservices for the public in the afternoon. Thesources also noted that, along with theafternoon canteens, a proposal was madeto rent school playgrounds for fees up toKD 15 which would collectively provide asource of income for all schools.

MoE considers cooking in schools to reduce expenses

ROME: Two Kuwaiti students are join-ing hundreds of their peers, from thefour corners of the globe, in acting outas diplomats grappling with real-lifeglobal issues in this year’s edition ofthe Rome Model UN (RomeMUN) simu-lation conference.

During the opening session of theevent, the two Kuwaiti female studentsHaya Al-Ahmad and Alya Jehail actedas ambassadors to the UN SecurityCouncil’s permanent member state ofFrance in a simulating session of theUN General Assembly.

The training session addressed aseries of key issues including the globalfood security and climate change.

The aspiring Kuwaiti diplomatseffectively contributed to the debates.They presented draft resolutions,defended their points of view andnegotiated and reached compromisesfor resolving the tackled causes.

The session was also attended by alarge number of senior UN and Italianofficials, foreign ambassadors anddiplomat as well as academics andpolitical experts.

Kuwait ’s Ambassador to RomeSheikh Ali Khaled Al-Jaber Al-AhmadAl-Sabah and his wife, KuwaitPermanent Delegate to the UN Foodand Agriculture Organization (FAO)Yousef Al-Jehail and Acting KuwaitPermanent Delegate to FAO SheikhaManar Sabah Al-Sabah attended theopening session of the training pro-gram which will last till March 17.

“I am proud of the enthusiasm andeffective contribution of the two‘ambassadors’ to the session,” SheikhAli said.

He pointed out that the embassyencourages and is ready to helpKuwaiti youth to participate in similarUN and international training events.

Sheikh Ali noted that students look-

ing forwards to partaking in the com-ing RomeMUN can apply through theembassy website.

One of the biggestFor her part, the Executive Director

of RomeMUN Daniela Conte said thatthe annual RomeMUN conference isemerging as one of the biggest andbest-known UN simulation eventaround the world.

She stated that the goal of the con-ference is to provide the best UN expe-rience for all participants.

Conte cheered Kuwaiti students’participation in this year’s edition,describing it as a value added to theevent. She disclosed that more than1,500 college students and high schoolstudents are participating inRomeMUN 2014.

She added that delegates will workin different committees and agenciesof the United Nations, including: theGeneral Assembly, the Security

Council, FAO and other UN agencies.Participants can also take part as

journalists of the most relevant world-wide networks or as translators.

The annual Rome Model UN train-ing conference and programs aredesigned to teach students how theUnited Nations work. Participants rep-resent the UN member countries in asimulation game by playing the diplo-matic debates in UN committees.

The purpose of this experience-based program is to find common andeffective solutions on the issues in theagenda by signing and approving anumber of resolutions.

The conference was born on theidea of bringing hundreds of studentsfrom around the world into the cradleof Western democracy, but also withthe awareness that they must foster acloser relationship between civil socie-ty and international institutions, in par-ticular a greater involvement of youngpeople in global issues. —KUNA

Two Kuwaiti students take part in UN simulation conference

ROME: Kuwaiti students Haya Al-Ahmad and Alya Jehail take partin the Model UN simulation conference.

VIENNA: Kuwait Friday welcomed the UN GeneralAssembly’s decision to hold a special session in 2016regarding the problem of drugs in the world.

Kuwait is committed to the UN Charter, the internationallaw and the universal declaration of human rights as well asall international narcotics’ treaties, Kuwait’s Ambassador toAustria and permanent representative to the UN organiza-tions in Vienna, Sadeq Marafi, said.

He was addressing the 57th High-Level Segment of theUN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND).

Marafi said Kuwait was very keen on fostering coopera-tion at the regional and international level to fighting drugs,citing the Ministry of Health’s decision to add Tramadol tothe list of banned drugs in 2011.

Kuwait, he added, was also keen on complying with theinternational agreements and cooperate with the UN bod-

ies to fighting drugs.Mafari said Kuwait’s public and private sectors were

exerting efforts to addressing addiction and treatingaddicts to be “active and productive people in the society.”

Kuwait is proud to be clear of plantation of drugs, hesaid, however the problem was in the smuggling of nar-cotics.

Marafi said the parliament in Kuwait approved a numberof legislations and laws that would contribute to the fightagainst drugs through a full-fledged strategy. He addedKuwait did not register any drug-related case against anyperson below 18 years old in 2013.

“The world is fighting a battle against an enemy whodoes not recognize big countries no matter how powerfulthey are ... This enemy leaves behind huge losses in peopleand money,” he said. —KUNA

Kuwait reaffirms keenness in fighting drugs

L O C A LSUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

By A Saleh

KUWAIT: Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin HamadAl-Thani is set to head his country’s delegationduring the Arab Summit that takes place inKuwait later this month. Earlier reports hadsuggested that Qatar’s participation will bereduced to the ‘foreign minister’s level’ follow-ing decisions of Saudi Arabia, United ArabEmirates and Bahrain to withdraw their ambas-sadors from Doha. “Information suggesting thatSheikh Tamim Al-Thani plans to delegateanother official to head Qatar’s delegation isuntrue,” said sources familiar with the news.

“Sheikh Tamim is committed to have hiscountry participate at the highest level, andreaffirm its position among Arab states,” addedthe sources who spoke on the condition ofanonymity.

There is growing hope in the Arabian Gulfregion that efforts to contain the rift between

the Gulf Cooperation Council members - whichare said to be led by Kuwait - could achieve suc-cess before the summit which takes place onMarch 25 and 26.

Saddam ‘tribute’In other news, the University of Bahrain

denied reports that suggested a tribute to for-mer I raqi president Saddam Hussein wasshown during a display carried out by Iraqi stu-dents in campus. “As part of the annual ceremo-ny in which students of different communitiesdisplay cultural acts about their home coun-tries, the Iraqi students showed a video chroni-cl ing the histor y of I raq since theMesopotamian Civilianization,” said Dr OsamaAl-Jowdar, the Dean of Students Affairs at theUOB.

The video featured images of rulers of Iraqthroughout its history, including SaddamHussein, but not give specific information or

details about his tenure. “The segment did nottake up more viewing time compared to others,nor was it accompanied by eulogies or any spe-cific statements regarding the former Iraqipresident,” Jowdar explained.

News about the display was quick to reachKuwait - a country destroyed by the SaddamHussein-led invasion of 1990 - drawing criticismin the parliament. The Bahraini governmentquickly responded to reports that appeared inKuwaiti media on Friday, saying that SaddamHussein was never a revered character in thetiny island-kingdom.

“Saddam is not of us, and so are those whoeulogize him,” wrote Sheikh Khalid bin AhmadAl-Khalifa, Bahrain’s Foreign Minister, on hisTwitter account.

In Kuwait, MP Kamel Al-Awadhi applaudedSheikh Khalid’s quick response, which he said“reflects the real opinion of the governmentand people of Bahrain”.

Sheikh Tamim to head Qatar delegation at Arab Summit

Participation at highest level

KUWAIT: Head of the Department of Maintaining BiodiversityConservation at the Kuwait Environment Public Authority Mona Al-Hussainsaid yesterday that its inspection team confiscated dozens of illegallyobtained birds which it set free in Wafra market in a campaign to clampdown on illegal sales of wildlife animals.

Al-Hussain added in a press statement that all the birds were seized due

to violations of applicable laws and were set free after ensuring their safety.She pointed out that the inspection team is still carrying out inspection

campaigns in the bird market or anywhere suspected of selling bannedanimals. In addition, she called on all pet buyers to avoid trading in or traf-ficking in banned animals and pets and to report to authorities those ille-gally selling them. —KUNA

Bird inspection campaign in WafraKUWAIT: Bird inspection campaign in progress in Wafra.

NEW YORK: The State of Kuwait has renewedits support for the 2139 (2014) United NationsResolution on Syria, which essentially calls onparties of the conflict to allow safe access forhumanitarian agencies to deliver aid to strandedcivilians.

Kuwait’s Permanent Delegate at the UNAmbassador Mansour Ayyad Al-Otaibi, speakingduring a session of the UN General Assembly,late on Friday, cautioned that future of theregion and Syria is at stake unless the interna-tional community reaches a political settlementto the ongoing crisis.

The session was held to examine results ofthe international efforts to resolve the Syrian cri-sis-namely by the special UN-Arab League EnvoyLakhdar Brahimi.

Al-Otaibi affirmed the State of Kuwait sup-port for Brahimi’s mission and his bids to resumenegotiations for sake of ensuring “comprehen-sive implementation of the Geneva commu-nique, issued on June 30, 2012.”

The State of Kuwait shares the UN SecretaryGeneral his deep regret for failure of the interna-tional community, regional powers and the

Syrians of putting an end to this crisis and halt-ing the violence, the Kuwaiti permanent dele-gate at the UN affirmed.

Moreover, Kuwait supports UN resolutionsthat call for withdrawal of foreign fighters fromSyria, bringing all officials responsible for geno-cides and breaches of international laws toaccount. “We also support the resolution stipula-tion that the council will take further steps incase of non-compliance and we look forward inthis regard to the report that will be presentedby the Secretary General to the Security Councilin the end of the month,” he said.

As to Kuwait’s contribution to relief aid forthe Syrians, Ambassador Al-Otaibi noted itshosting of two international conferences fordonations to the Syrians that resulted in raisingunprecedented donations exceeding $4 billionto fund relief operations in Syria. Kuwait, overthe past three years, offered $one billion worthof aid, too.

He expressed hope that all states that hadpledged to contribute to the humanitarian sup-port for the Syrian people would honor theirobligations. —KUNA

Kuwait renews support for efforts to aid Syrians

L O C A LSUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

KUWAIT: Salmiya police arrested two men on chargesof impersonating police detectives and drug posses-sion. Patrol vehicles were dispatched to a location inthe area in response to emergency call reporting thepresence of two persons there who stopped peopleand claimed to be police detectives. The two menwere identified, wearing civilian clothes, andapproached by police. They identified themselves as amajor and captain in the Criminal InvestigationsDepartment, but attempted to escape when policeasked for their IDs. The men, who were identified asSyrian nationals, were then searched and policefound 13 drug pills, a police ID and KD 175 in theirpossession. They were referred to the proper authori-ties for further action.

Body found A woman was found dead inside her residence in

Fahaheel Friday while preliminary investigations indi-cate that she has likely died of natural causes. Policeand emergency medical technicians responded to anemergency call reporting foul odor emitting from a45-year-old Sri Lankan woman’s apartment inFahaheel, and they found the woman dead inside her

bedroom. The body, which was found to be in rigormortis, was taken to the forensic department for anautopsy to determine the cause and time of death. Acase was filed for investigations.

Hawally accidentA man was critically wounded after he was run

over by a drunk driver in Hawally recently. Paramedicsarrived to the scene in response to an emergency call,and helped the 25-year-old Kuwaiti man to MubarakHospital. Meanwhile, police arrested the drunk driverand found a liquor bottle inside his car. The suspectwas taken to the area’s police station for further action.

Youth attacks mom A woman approached officers at the Naeem police

station and asked to press domestic abuse chargesagainst her son who she said had ran away from theirhouse in the area. The Kuwaiti woman explained thather son beat her up when she failed to provide himwith his daily allowance. She gave police a medicaldiagnoses report showing bruises she sustained as aresult of the attack. Investigations are ongoing insearch for the suspect.

Kidnap foiledInvestigations are ongoing in search for suspects

who attempted to kidnap a domestic worker inFirdous but failed when the woman showed strongresistance. According to the police report, thehousemaid was walking to a grocery store near heremployer ’s house when two men in a carapproached and offered to take her to her destina-tion. When she refused, the suspects reportedlytried to force her into their car, but then escapedwhen the woman screamed for help. The maid wastaken by her employer to the area’s police stationwhere she gave officers description of the suspectsand their car.

Cardiac arrest A 32-year-old man died from a cardiac arrest

inside his house in Mangaf Friday night. Emergencymedical technicians headed to the scene inresponse to an emergency call made at 8:00 am,and performed CPR in an attempt to revive theman. The Egyptian national was rushed to the AdanHospital where he was later pronounced dead. Acase was filed.

Police impersonators arrested in Salmiya

Pedestrian run over by drunk driver

KUWAIT: Underlying its sincere supportto an important segment in the society,Zain, the leading telecommunicationscompany in Kuwait, presented the KuwaitSports Club for the Handicapped withspecially customized wheelchairs with anaim of facilitating their comfort whiletraining and competing in tournamentsand championships, raising the Kuwaitiflag high with their persistence.

Sheikha Shaikha Al-Abdallah Al-Sabah,the honorary president of the disabledclub, along with Zain Deputy ChairmanBader Al-Kharafi, Chief Strategy OfficerShafeeq Al- Sayed Omar, and KuwaitHandicapped Sports Club president ShafiAl-Hajri witnessed the demonstrativematch that was organized by the club’sbasketball team immediately after receiv-ing the customized wheelchairs. The play-ers showed their excitement and goodsport during the match among a joyousatmosphere.

Zain Deputy Chairman Bader Al-Kharafi expressed his pleasure after tak-ing part in a tour of the club by saying:“we are extremely proud of the greatachievements the handicapped basket-ball team and the Kuwait Handicapped

Sports Club have achieved overall, espe-cially with such lackluster conditions andsupport”.

Al-Kharafi added: “such sport clubs arein need of constant support and atten-tion. They continue to achieve great titleswhile facing many challenges, and withZain’s support today, we hope that weadd a valuable contribution to this distin-guished community”.

Zain’s support of people with specialneeds has long been a core focus for thecompany’s Corporate Social Responsibilitystrategy, and by presenting this initiative,the company reassures its continuous sup-port to this much cherished segment ofthe society. Going forward, the companypledges to spare no efforts in providingcomprehensive support and sponsorshipsthat help to reflect a positive image to theKuwait sports and youth segments. Zain isactively participating and supporting allinitiatives that involving people with spe-cial needs. Such support includes Zain’sparticipation in the International Day ofPeople with Disability at the social carehomes in the Ministry of Social Affairs andLabor as well as the company’s annual vis-its to care centers and hospitals.

Zain provides wheelchairs to Handicapped Sports Club

KUWAIT: Zain officials with members of the Kuwait Sports Club for theHandicapped.

KUWAIT: The first quarter of 2014 wasgood for Kuwait’s tourism industry.Recent data reveal that hotels inKuwait outperformed their counter-parts in the Middle East and NorthAfrica during the period. This is largelyattributed to the various festive holi-days and school vacations, whichhelped increase demand from domes-tic tourists as well as Saudi Arabianvisitors. The potential of leisuretourism is gradually rising in a countrywhere the tourism sector still hasample room for development andwhere a variety of tourist attractionscan still be built in 2014.

Kuwait is currently shortening thetourism gap with its neighbors in theGCC region, where the leisure marketon an average accounts for around70 per cent of tourism spending. Toboost tourism in the country, thegovernment launched a five-yeartourism development plan in 2011.The idea is to develop tourist facili-ties such as hotels and attractions atpar with international standards withan aims to attract at least a millionvisitors by 2015.

To support the government’s visionand to boost leisure tourism in thecountry, the state-owned TouristicEnterprises Co. has also decided tolaunch a range of entertainment,sports and tourism projects valued atup to $460 million. Another $13 billionworth of investment has been madeto build the transport infrastructureneeded to drive the tourism sector.

The positive outlook is in light ofgovernment’s strategic plans andhuge investment in the tourism sectoras it aims to match internationaltourist destinations.

Such concerted efforts to developtourism industry to attract domestic aswell as regional and internationaltourists have furthered the demandfor related expertise. Kuwait will needto build more hotel rooms and enter-tainment facilities and develop infra-

structural services such as roads, rails,ports and airports to achieve targetedgrowth, and it will need the right peo-ple to do so.

Mahmoud Sabari, Area GeneralManager, Drake & Scull Kuwait, said:“Kuwait is one of the wealthiesteconomies in the world, with thehighest-value currency unit. The coun-try has not yet optimized the tremen-dous potential of tourism. It will needto develop world-class hotels and oth-er tourist facilities such as malls,amusement parks, beaches, golfcourses and spas to better competewith its neighbors who already have awell-established tourism industry. Forall this, government has devised afive-year plan with an aim to buildfacilities to cater to a million touristsby 2015.”

“DSI sees immense potential in theup and coming tourism sector and arewell aware of the market, havingworked for almost a decade there. Wewant to leverage our experience andestablished reputation to be well-positioned for this growth by bidding

for some of the major projects inKuwait,” concluded Sabri.

Drake & Scull Kuwait is keen onleveraging the upsurge in tourismactivities in Kuwait. The aims to takeadvantage of the huge investmentsbeing directed towards the localtourism sector, driven by key develop-ments

DSI Kuwait has been operating inthe country since 2004 and is associat-ed with many leading domestic con-struction and engineering projects. Itsportfolio includes the Special TrainingCentre for Public Authority for AppliedEducation and Training in Chuwaikh,the College of Basic Education - BoysCampus in Ardiya, and the KuwaitState Audit Bureau office.

The company plans to draw on itsexpertise and experience to win majortourism-related projects in Kuwait. Itswell-established railway division,Drake & Scull Rail, can be instrumentalin development of infrastructuralfacilities in the country. Drake & ScullRail can support a wide range of con-tractual arrangements, from turnkeyto Engineering, Procurement andConstruction (EPC), joint ventures,packaged works and subcontractworks, Drake & Scull Development, adivision under Drake & Scull Rail isdedicated to developing projects thatare Public-Private Partnership (PPP) -structured so that funding can besourced from both the company andexternal entities.

The tourism industry is set to growin Kuwait given the scale of invest-ment and support of the government.Government has allocated $6 billionto build a second terminal at the capi-tal’s airport to increase its capacity tomore than 20 million passengers peryears by 2016 and a new metro sys-tem worth $7 billion to be operationalby 2020. With trusted partners such asDSI Kuwait, the country is sure toemerge as the next tourist destinationof the GCC.

Kuwait shortening tourismgap with neighbors

SHARJAH: Ali Al-Hajar, the well-known Egyptianartist, commenced rehearsals in preparations for hisperformance in the epic operetta “The Clusters ofLight”, opening on March 26 at the Emirate ofSharjah’s 4,500 seat Open Majaz Island Theatre.

Al-Hajar will join a stellar cast of Arab perform-ers, encompassing Mohamed Assaf, Lotfi Bouchnakand Hussein Al-Jasmi, alongside a large globalteam. The performance is the inaugural event ofSharjah’s tenure as the Capital of Islamic Culture2014 .

Composed by Khalid Shaikh, a distinguishedBahraini artist, “The Clusters of Light” is about thelife of the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him,and reviews the history of Islam from the Prophet’sbirth to his death.

The artist conveyed his pride and joy in joiningthe show, stating that Sharjah has always been atthe forefront of supporting art and culture whichexplores the history and influence of Islamic andArab civilization”.

He added : “My colleagues and I will present ashow that the entire world will write about, and wewill take the audience on a journey from the holyland, where the seeds of Islam started, to the era ofvictories and glory of Islam”.

New dimensionAl-Hajar added : “ The oratorio will change how peo-

ple will value the show business in general - it will com-pel many to re-read history. Sharjah is establishing anew dimension in the serious show business”.

This epic is the product of an effort that involveshundreds of composers, technical experts, directors,designers and innovators. Among its characteristic fea-tures are the use of unparalleled sophisticated tech-

nologies in the region, including 4D technologyencompassing 400 moving lights, 120 loudspeakers,and 21 projectors. It is expected to attract a huge audi-ence, from both Arab countries and the rest of theworld. Its mission is to create a high-ranking artisticwork providing a true picture about Islam - the humanvalues and high-ranking message that promote peace,justice, tolerance and love - to be recorded by historyand engraved in the memory of future generations.

Hajar starts preparations for ‘Clusters of Light’

Mahmoud Sabari

SHARJAH: The Egyptian artist Ali Al-Hajar with “Clusters of light” cast in Emirates Arts Studio.

GENEVA: Key commitments on democratic values andglobal security will dominate the debates on 130th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)’s General Assembly, scheduledMarch 16-20.

More than 715 parliamentarians from 141 countries willcommit to efforts to make the world free from nuclearweapons. This will be one of the several key decisions thatIPU Members expected to take in the important meetingwith significant implications on the world or theOrganization.

“As an Organization that since 1889 has been dedicatedto peace and strengthening democracy, our eye is firmlyon the future and how to most effectively deal with thechallenges to human security and democratic values byharnessing the power of those that represent the globalcitizenry,” IPU President Abdelwahad Radi said yesterday.

With more than 17,000 nuclear weapons believed toexist in the world and many on launch standby, nuclear dis-armament and non-proliferation remain an urgent priorityin making the world a safer place, he explained. —KUNA

Democracy, global security to feature high on IPU assembly

SUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

Lebanese govt to allow citizens to resist Israel

Page 12

Legacy of torture looms over CIA-Congress feudPage 9

KUALA LUMPUR: The week-long search for Malaysia Airlinesflight MH370 took a major new turn yesterday as evidence indi-cated that its communication systems were manually switchedoff and the airliner was deliberately diverted. The first concrete,verified lead as to the possible reason behind the disappear-ance has fuelled speculation over how and why MH370 mighthave been commandeered-and its likely fate. Here are some ofthe possible scenarios being weighed up by experts.

Terror attackAs the theory that the plane was deliberately taken over

gains traction, questions over the involvement of terrorist organ-izations have come back to the fore. The presence of two pas-sengers travelling on stolen passports fuelled early fears of a ter-ror link. Authorities now believe the two Iranian men were sim-ply illegal migrants, but CIA director John Brennan has said a ter-ror attack has not been ruled out. The search area covers a mas-sive region-a northern corridor from the border of Kazakhstanand Turkmenistan through northern Thailand and a southerncorridor from Indonesia to the southern Indian Ocean-with nopotential target or destination pinpointed so far.

The extensive inside information and expertise needed tocommandeer a plane for hours without detection would needan unprecedented level of pre-planning, says Gerry Soejatman,a Jakarta-based independent aviation analyst. “If that was delib-erate, we may be dealing with something beyond the missionplanning for 9/11,” he said. While the southern corridor is lessmonitored, the northern zone would be bristling with radar.Dropping altitude to fly as low as possible would be one way toavoid detection, he said. But the Malaysia Airlines scenario hadtoo many loose ends for a terror attack, said Adam Dolnik, pro-fessor of terrorism studies at the University of Wollongong inAustralia. “Nothing from what I have seen points to that conclu-sion,” he said. “For something this big, you would have some-body claiming it.”

Pilot involvementWith Malaysia confirming that communications were likely

switched off manually, pilot involvement-whether intentional orunder duress-is a possibility, some experts say. “For me there’sonly a few scenarios,” says Paul Yap, aviation lecturer at TemasekPolytechnic in Singapore. “First, the people involved in the delib-

erate actions...are the pilots, one of them or both of them incahoots. “Then we have a scenario where terrorists make thepilots change course and switch off the transponders underduress, maybe threatening to kill of the passengers. “Or, wecould have a scenario where the security protocol surroundingthe cockpit is compromised.” Passengers have been prohibitedfrom entering the cockpit during a flight after the 9/11 attackson the United States. “It’s certainly someone who knew whatthey were doing,” said Chris De Lavigne, a vice president at busi-ness consultancy Frost & Sullivan. “It could be the pilot, the crew,it could be passengers.” Malaysia Airlines has said it was“shocked” over a TV report that MH370 co-pilot Fariq AbdulHamid had, along with another pilot, allowed two women intothe cockpit on a flight in 2011.

Pilot suicideWhile rare, there have been cases of pilots crashing planes to

take their own lives. In December 1997, a SilkAir Boeing 737from Jakarta to Singapore plunged into a river in Indonesia withthe loss of 104 passengers and crew. US investigators blamedpilot suicide. A suicide bid “is possible and if that’s the case theremight not be a lot of debris because the plane would have comedown in relative structural integrity”, said Terence Fan, aviationexpert at Singapore Management University. “The airplane is notmeant to float and if the airplane sinks in the water, water will goinside because the door seals are not meant to seal water.”Nothing has emerged to suggest any serious psychologicalproblems with either of the pilots who were flying MH370.

Plane landed and is hiddenThe lack of debris and apparent absence of any data indicat-

ing impact have led to speculation that the plane may havelanded safely and be hidden in a remote location. The size of theBoeing 777 and the amount of space needed for it to land makeit unlikely that this was the flight’s fate, says Greg Waldron, Asiamanaging editor at industry publication Flightglobal. “The tripleseven is a very large aircraft that requires a long airport-size run-way to land... it’s possible, but I think not probable.” But Yapbelieves that if those controlling the flight were skilled enoughto evade military radar, “that person should most likely be ableto land it safely as well”. “Evidence of deliberate action does openseveral new leads - including the possibility that the aircraft is

not lost at sea,” said London-based David Kaminski-Morrow, airtransport editor for Flight International. Soejatman added thatmost flights have enough fuel to cover an additional two hoursin the air so, given the latest data, MH370 would have been closeto running out.

Cover up The apparent slowness to reveal key radar data has led to

speculation that countries may know more about the plane’slikely whereabouts, but are unwilling to share due to a perceivedsecurity risk. The latest information on the plane’s route posesmore questions than it answers over how it remained undetect-

ed, says Soejatman. “If it went through the northern corridor, itwould have passed through so many countries. But why hasn’tanybody detected it and said anything? “It’s extremely differentto comprehend that so many countries might have seen it andkept it under wraps.” A path through the remoter southern corri-dor would explain a lack of radar coverage, but would bring themotive into doubt, he said. “It is amazing that an airplane-andnot a little airplane-could fly so far, over multiple overlappingjurisdictions, without being detected,” Ajai Sahni, executivedirector of India’s Institute for Conflict Management, a Delhi-based think-tank said. “It makes one wonder, ‘How much are wein control?’”— AFP

What could have happened to flight MH370?Plane may have ‘landed safely and hidden’

ANDAMANS: This photograph shows the sea off the rocky base at Port Blair in the Andamans. A missing Malaysianairliner was apparently deliberately diverted and flown for hours after vanishing from radar, Prime Minister NajibRazak said yesterday. — AFP

I N T E R N AT I O N A LSUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

JERUSALEM: With pessimism growing by theday over the future of Middle East peace talks,US President Barack Obama will meetPalestinian President Mahmoud Abbas inWashington tomorrow to try to break the stale-mate. The deadline for the negotiations betweenIsraelis and Palestinians, aimed at ending theirentrenched conflict, expires next month andWashington is eager to persuade the two sidesto prolong their discussions within a new frame-work.

But expectations of imminent progress areminimal. After eight months of initial talks, andat least 10 trips to the region, US Secretary ofState John Kerry sounded unusually gloomy dur-ing a Congressional hearing on March 12, indi-cating that little progress had been made so far.“The level of mistrust is as large as any level ofmistrust I’ve ever seen,” said Kerry, a veteran ofMiddle East diplomacy. “Neither (side) believesthe other is really serious. Neither believes that... the other is prepared to make some of the bigchoices that have to be made here.”

However, he said it was still possible toextend the talks. Obama’s direct involvement isaimed at providing much needed additionalimpetus: he saw Israeli Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu earlier this month, and is now meet-ing Abbas. Israelis and Palestinians have beenholding on-off negotiations for more than 20years with the stated aim of sharing the HolyLand and creating an independent Palestine.Through all that time, the main, unresolved

issues have remained exactly the same-definingthe borders and agreeing on security, the statusof Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugeesdisplaced during the 1948 creation of Israel.

Obama told Netanyahu he would seek “diffi-cult decisions” from Abbas and would push himbehind closed doors as hard as he did the Israelipremier to help narrow the gap for a frameworkaccord, a senior US official said. Although theterms of the mooted accord have not been pub-lished, Palestinians say early indications suggestthey will be offered less than what former USPresident Bill Clinton laid out in 2000 in the so-called Clinton Parameters. The president’s aideshave made clear that Obama wants the frame-work document to be seen as even-handed,despite the sense among many Palestinians thatWashington is favouring Israel.

FrustrationBesides the so-called core issues, other hur-

dles to a deal have also emerged, particularlyNetanyahu’s demand that Abbas recognizesIsrael as a Jewish State. Israel says this wouldshow he was serious about ending the conflict,but the Palestinians say it would merely destroytheir own narrative. Abbas says accepting itwould effectively deny his own people’s cen-turies-old links to the land and would also meanrenouncing the right to return for some 5 millionPalestinian refugees and their descendants.Washington has endorsed the Israeli positionbut, perhaps revealing a frustration with

Netanyahu, Kerry told the House Committee onForeign Affairs on Thursday that it was a “mis-take” to raise the issue repeatedly “as the criticaldecider”.

Adamant not to give in on this point, Abbasalso faces pressure at home not to agree to anyloosely worded accord that would simply pro-long negotiations, with no clear end in sight. ThePalestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which ischaired by Abbas, issued a statement this weekexpressing its “absolute rejection” of any prolon-gation. PLO board member Hanan Ashrawi saidthat without obtaining a freeze on Jewish settle-ment-building on occupied territories thePalestinians want for their future state, any fur-ther discussions would be futile.

“By extending talks even one more year,they will finish the Greater Israel project giventhe alarming escalation of settlement activity,”she said. “If the document is what we have seen(up until now) then it is not even a startingpoint.” However, one senior Palestinian official,who declined to be named because of the sen-sitivity of the subject, said he thought therewas a good chance that Abbas would agree tocontinue talks given the pressure building onhim from Western governments. Speaking topolitical allies in Ramallah earlier this week,Abbas said he had come under huge duressover the past three years, but vowed not tobacktrack over the core points. “I am 79 yearsold and am not ready to end my life with trea-son,” he said. — Reuters

ISTANBUL: Turkish Prime MinisterTayyip Erdogan said a teenager whodied last week after sustaining a headinjury in anti-government protestslast summer was linked to “terroristorganizations”, in comments likely tofan political tensions. The death of15-year-old Berkin Elvan on Tuesdayafter nine months in a coma sparkedTurkey’s worst unrest since nation-wide anti-government demonstra-t ions last June, compoundingErdogan’s woes as he battles a graftscandal that has become one of thebiggest challenges of his decade inpower.

Erdogan made his remarks, his firstabout Elvan, late on Friday at a cam-paign rally in southeast Turkey aheadof nationwide municipal elections onMarch 30. “This kid with steel marblesin his pockets, with a slingshot in hishand, his face covered with a scarf,who had been taken up into terrororganizations, was unfor tunatelysubjected to pepper gas,” Erdogantold a crowd of suppor ters in aspeech broadcast on state-run TRT-Haber news channel.

“How could the police determinehow old that person was who had ascar f on his face and was hurlingsteel marbles with a slingshot in hishand?” Elvan, then 14, got caught upin street battles in Istanbul on June16 while going to buy bread for hisfamily. He was hit in the head bywhat is believed to be a police gascanister, sl ipped into a coma andbecame a rallying point for govern-ment opponents, who held regularvigils at the hospital where he lay inintensive care.

Anarchists, terroristsAfter his death, riot police used

water cannon, tear gas and rubberpellets to disperse tens of thousandsof protesters who took to the streetsof Turkey ’s largest cities chanting“Tayyip! Killer!” and “Everywhere isBerkin, everywhere is resistance.” Atcampaign rallies in the past few days,Erdogan has accused a coalition of“anarchists, terrorists and vandals” aswell as opposition parties and aninfluential US-based Islamic cleric oforchestrating the unrest to under-mine him.

Using harsh words unl ikely tosoothe public anger, Erdogan - whounlike President Abdullah Gul andother public figures did not sendcondolences to Elvan’s family - criti-cized the boy’s parents and suggest-ed he had not really gone to buybread. “His mother says ‘my son’skiller is the prime minister’. I knowlove, fondness for one’s child, but Icould not understand why you threwsteel marbles and carnations intoyour son’s grave,” Erdogan said at hiselection campaign rally. Elvan’s familyare Alevis, a religious minority inmainly Sunni Muslim Turkey whichespouses a liberal version of Islamand has often been at odds with theIs lamist-rooted government.Erdogan contrasted Elvan’s deathwith that of 22-year-old BurakcanKaramanoglu, who was shot dead inIstanbul on Wednesday af ter anapparent standoff with a group ofanti-government protesters. Erdoganhas blamed his death on a far-leftistgroup. “Our son Burakcan was mar-tyred just three months after comingback from his mil i tar y ser vice.Burakcan was not carrying a sling-shot or a gun,” Erdogan said. Thefathers of Elvan and Karamanogluspoke together on Friday and made ajoint appeal on television to Turks toremain calm and not to use theirsons’ deaths for political ends.

Erdogan, who has presided over adecade of rising living standards,remains Turkey’s most popular politi-cian and his AK Party is expected tooutstrip its rivals in the local polls.But critics say Erdogan is becomingincreasingly authoritarian and intol-erant, pointing to moves to tightengovernment control of the judiciaryand of the Internet. Erdogan says themoves are necessary to counter whathe sees as attempts by a former ally-turned-foe, US-based Islamic clericFethul lah Gulen, to unseat h im.Gulen’s many followers in Turkey’spol ice and judic iar y are widelybelieved to be behind a series ofleaked audio recordings purportedlyexposing graft and other malprac-tices in Erdogan’s inner circle. Gulendenies any involvement in the scan-dal.— Reuters

GAZA: Palestinian school girls cross a bridge over the garbage filled Wadi Gaza in the central Gaza Strip, as the silhouette of the Gaza Strip pow-er plant is seen in the background. The Gaza Strip’s only power plant shut down yesterday due to a lack of fuel from Israel, which closed a goodscrossing after militant rocket attacks. —AFP

As hope withers, Palestinian leader heads to Washington

Israelis, Palestinians as far apart as ever on core issues

Erdogan links dead Turkish teen to ‘terrorist’ groupsPM criticizes teenager, his family

Blast rocks MogadishuMOGADISHU: A car bomb went offyesterday in central Mogadishu neara hotel popular with government offi-cials and businessmen, injuring atleast one person, police and witness-es said. “There was a car bomb explo-sion near the rear gate of the Maka AlMukarama hotel. It seems that the carwas parked there loaded with explo-sives but we are still investigatingcasualties”, police officer MohamedMire said. Witnesses said that casual-ties were carried from the scene ofthe blast, but it was not clear if theywere injured or dead.

Police confirmed at least one per-son was injured in the blast, whichappeared to target the hotel, popularwith government officials and busi-nessmen who have returned homeafter years abroad. “It was a really bigexplosion and the street was busywhen it happened,” said Hussein Issa,who witnessed the blast. The hotelwas hit by a car bomb in Novemberthat left several people dead and thearea around the hotel has also beentargeted several times recently. InFebruary alone, major attacks inMogadishu have included a car bombat the gates of the airport, a major sui-cide attack on the presidential palaceand a car bombing on a cafe close tothe intelligence headquarters.

No party has so far claimedresponsibility but similar attacks inthe past have been claimed by theShebab, the Al-Qaeda-linked groupwhich African Union troops are bat-tling in Somalia. In the latest advanceagainst the Shebab, Somali govern-ment forces backed by African Uniontroops on Thursday captured thesmall town of Buula Burde, in thesouthern Hiran region bordering

Ethiopia.

Security ‘deteriorated’News of yesterday ’s car bomb

sparked angry comments on Twitterthat the army should concentrate oncompletely securing Mogadishurather than on fighting the Islamistselsewhere in the country. HardlineShebab insurgents once controlledmost of southern and central Somaliabut withdrew from fixed positions inMogadishu two years ago. However,guerrilla units stage regular deadlyattacks in the capital, and alsoclaimed responsibility for last year’sdeadly attack in neighboring Kenya,when commandos stormed theupmarket Westgate mall, shootingshoppers and hurling grenades.Government and AU troops have alsocome under repeated hit-and-runattacks in rural areas surrounding thesettlements they capture. After a

series of sweeping victories in 2012,the AU force AMSIOM had remainedlargely static, hampered by limitedtroops and air power.

But the UN-mandated forcelaunched a new offensive earlier thismonth against the Islamist fighters,after Ethiopian soldiers joined topush troop numbers to some 22,000.The UN’s envoy to Somalia, NicholasKay, this week told the SecurityCouncil the offensive would be “themost significant and geographicallyextensive military advance” sinceAMISOM started operations in 2007.But Kay also warned the security situ-ation in the capital Mogadishu had“deteriorated” in the last threemonths. Recent Shebab attacks in thecapital have targeted key areas ofgovernment or the security forces, inan apparent bid to discredit claims bythe authorities that they are winningthe war against them.— AFP

MOGADISHU: A Somali soldier walks near the wreckage of a car bomb thatwent off near the gate of one of Mogadishu’s most popular hotels yester-day. — AP

Iran detects sabotage at nuke facilityTEHRAN: Iranian authorities have pre-vented attempted sabotage at thecountry’s heavy water nuclear reactor,a senior official said yesterday withoutgiving specifics as to the nature of theattempted disruption or its suspectedinitiator. Asghar Zarean, who headssecurity at the Atomic EnergyOrganization of Iran, said domesticintelligence agencies were instrumen-tal in uncovering the plot, which hasnot been the first attempt to disruptthe contentious nuclear program.

“Several cases of industrial sabo-tage have been neutralized in the pastfew months before achieving theintended damage, including sabotageat a part of the IR-40 facility at Arak,” hesaid in a statement issued by hisorganization yesterday. In the past,

computer viruses have attackedIranian nuclear facilities. While Zareandid not say whether that was the casethis time, his comments coincidedwith the opening of a specialized labTehran says will fight industrial sabo-tage and neutralize cyberattacks. “Thisspecialized lab has been launched toidentify, prevent and fight threatsincluding modern software viruses,”Zarean said.

In 2010, the so-called Stuxnet virustemporarily disrupted operation ofthousands of centrifuges, key compo-nents in nuclear fuel production, atI ran’s Natanz uranium enrichmentfacility. Iran says it and other computervirus attacks are part of a concertedeffort by Israel, the US and their alliesto undermine its nuclear program

through cover t operations. SomeIranian officials have also suggested inthe past that specific European com-panies may have sold faulty equip-ment to Iran with the knowledge ofAmerican intelligence agencies andtheir own governments, since the saleswould have harmed, rather thanhelped, the country’s nuclear program.

Since then, Iran has also said that itdiscovered tiny timed explosives plant-ed on centrifuges but disabled thembefore they could go off. Authoritiesnow claim the Is lamic Republic isimmune to cyberattacks. The countryhas also repor ted computer virusattacks on its oil facilities, includingone in 2012 that disabled Internet con-nections between the Oil Ministry, oilrigs and a major export facility. —AP

I N T E R N AT I O N A LSUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

WASHINGTON: A now-defunct US program that usedharsh interrogation techniques against terror suspectsstill casts a shadow over Washington, with the CIA andCongress locked in a bitter dispute over its legacy.Launched in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001attacks by ex-president George W Bush, the “detentionand interrogation program” was designed to force cap-tured suspects to talk about Al-Qaeda’s plots againstAmerica.

Intent on preventing another catastrophic attack onUS soil, the Bush administration ordered the CentralIntelligence Agency to “take the gloves off,” approving alist of aggressive techniques for interrogators.Detainees were whisked away to secret prisons andsubjected to “enhanced interrogation” techniques,including waterboarding or simulated drowning, so-called “stress positions” and other harsh methods. Bushadministration and top CIA officials who oversaw theproject have argued it was a crucial tool that saved lives,but rights groups and foreign governments condemnedthe methods as torture. After entering office in 2009,President Barack Obama scrapped the program, agree-ing with rights advocates that it amounted to torture.

But he opted not to pursue prosecutions or to pushinvestigations of any wrongdoing, and Americansremain divided over the program. Fearing a divisive,polarizing battle over the issue, the White House choseto move on-despite demands from some fellowDemocrats and rights advocates for a full reckoningwith the CIA. After learning about more damningdetails, the Senate Intelligence Committee has beenengaged in a years-long effort to publish a definitiveaccount of the now-closed CIA program. As committeestaff members waded through millions of CIA docu-ments, tensions between the agency and the commit-tee steadily mounted. Senators accused the CIA of drag-ging its feet or trying to hide incriminating details, whileintelligence officials alleged the staffers were reviewingdocuments they had no authority to retrieve.

CIA under spotlightThe distrust finally erupted in public this week, with

the influential chairwoman of the intelligence commit-tee, Dianne Feinstein, dropping her customary reserveto lash out at the CIA. She accused the agency of illegal-ly snooping on senate staffers’ computers in a bid to“intimidate” lawmakers overseeing the inquiry. Feinsteinwarned a fundamental democratic principle-the legisla-ture’s responsibility to hold the executive branchaccountable-had been jeopardized by the spy service’sbehavior. CIA director John Brennan denied any wrong-doing but he did not directly address all of Feinstein’sallegations, fueling speculation the agency had some-thing to hide. “I’m becoming convinced that the CIA issimply fearful of the interrogation report being madepublic, and I think it’s time for the American people toget that information,” said Senator Ron Wyden, a mem-ber of the intelligence committee.

Obama has said he supports the public release of thecommittee’s report, a move that civil liberties groups

praised as long overdue. But a former CIA officer, PaulPillar, said he was skeptical that the 6,300-page docu-ment or more hearings would change any minds whenit comes to the long-running argument over torture andsecurity. “It’s more just a matter of wallowing in stillmore details,” Pillar told AFP. “I think we have more thanenough to have a healthy debate that we want to have.”He also said the truth behind the CIA feud withCongress may be less dramatic, and more the result ofbureaucratic bungling, as well as a changing politicalclimate when it comes to fighting terror threats.

‘Let light dispel darkness’ The head of the CIA has insisted he wants the report

to be released so the agency can move on. “We want tolearn from the past, which we have, and we have done anumber of internal reviews, but I look forward to havingthis chapter of CIA history behind us,” Brennan said. Forcritics of the spy service, however, the only way to settlethe issue and avoid future abuses is to end the secrecyaround the interrogation program and give the subject athorough public airing. “The CIA says it wants to turn thepage on this unpublished chapter. You can’t turn thepage if you haven’t read it,” wrote Tim Weiner, author of acomprehensive and critical history of the agency,“Legacy of Ashes.” The indelible stain left by torture “can-not remain an issue for another day,” he wrote in a com-mentary in Politico. “Print the report, take the testimonyand let some light dispel this darkness.”— AFP

Legacy of torture looms over CIA-Congress feud

CIA accused of illegally snooping on Congress

WASHINGTON: US lawmakers pressed Friday for a robustdefense of Taiwan, voicing alarm over Pentagon plans todefund upgrades of the island’s fighter jets as part ofbudget cuts. Crossing party lines, members of the HouseForeign Affairs Committee called for the United States tostand firm on protecting Taiwan and to ignore concernsby a rising China, which considers the self-governingdemocracy to be a province awaiting reunification. TheAir Force, as part of its 2015 budget request, ends fundingfor a program announced in 2011 in which the UnitedStates planned $5.85 billion in upgrades of Taiwan’s fleetof F-16 jets. “It just makes no sense to me whatsoever,” saidRepresentative Eliot Engel, the top member of the panelfrom President Barack Obama’s Democratic Party.

“When it comes to Taiwan, there’s this sort of undercur-rent that we feel all the time where we bend over back-wards to try not to upset the sensitivities of the Beijingregime. And frankly, it irks me,” Engel said. StateDepartment official Kin Moy insisted that the Obamaadministration was fully committed to Taiwan’s defense,pointing to its $12 billion in announcements of arms sales.The Air Force has determined that the cutoff “will not havea significant impact on the Taiwan program, and that allfunding can be covered in Taiwan’s current letter of offerand acceptance,” Moy said in response to lawmakers’questions.

Major General Jim Martin, the Air Force director ofbudget, told reporters earlier this month that the defund-ing of the upgrade program was among “very toughtrade-offs” as the military put a priority instead on buyingnew equipment. Moy called on Taiwan to find its own“innovative” ways to ensure defense funding. Taiwan,however, has also been trimming its defense budget asPresident Ma Ying-jeou pursues a policy of reconciliationwith Beijing. Taiwan’s government was founded byChinese nationalists who fled in 1949 after losing themainland’s civil war.

Budget cuts in Taiwan, US, but not China -Beijing hasramped up military spending over the past decade as itseconomy grows, last week unveiling a 12.2 percentincrease for 2014. While Beijing’s declared defense budgetremains a fraction of Washington’s, many experts say thatthe mainland has increasingly ensured a decisive militaryadvantage if it ever attacked Taiwan.

The Obama administration, announcing the planeupgrade in 2011, insisted that the move was a more mod-ern way to provide for Taiwan’s defense needs. Criticscharged that the administration was avoiding strongerChinese criticism by not agreeing to Taiwan’s request tobuy 66 state-of-the-art F-16 C/D fighters rather than retro-fitting the existing F-16 A/B fleet. — AFP

Lawmakers

press US to

fund Taiwan

fighter jets

WASHINGTON: Code Pink protester Tighe Barry prepares to enter Chairman of the Senate Intelligence CommitteeDianne Feinstein’s office as protesters from Code Pink hold a demonstration to “expose her two-faced stance onspying” in the Hart Senate Office Building on US Capitol. — AFP

I N T E R N AT I O N A LSUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

MOSCOW: Ilya Azar does not know whether hehas been fired yet from one of Russia’s mostpopular independent online news organizations,but he is pretty sure he soon will be. His editor,Galina Timchenko, has already been sacked, andAzar says her departure was his fault, for inter-viewing a leader of Ukraine’s right-wing paramil-itary group Right Sector for their Lenta.ru web-site. Lenta.ru’s journalists say Timchenko’s sack-ing, after 10 years running one of a handful ofmedia organisations offering an alternative tostate-controlled outlets, shows PresidentVladimir Putin is tightening his grip over news.As the crisis in Ukraine escalates, that news hastaken on shades of Soviet-era propaganda, withanchors and reporters peppering their reportswith references to what they say was the coop-eration of some Ukrainians with the Nazis inWorld War Two.

“I think I have tried objectively to show bothsides in Ukraine but when the Russian troopswent into Crimea - unofficially of course but weknow they are there - the trend was for officialpropaganda,” Azar said. “Any other opinion andyou are treated as if you are the enemy,” he saidby telephone from the western Ukrainian city ofLviv where he is reporting. In the freewheeling1990s, Russian media took on everyone andeverything including the Kremlin. Increasingly inthe 14 years Putin has been in power, almost alltoe the official line. Kremlin spokesman DmitryPeskov denied there was any campaign tosilence critical media. “Those are standard accu-sations which we are fed up of hearing,” he said.

Azar’s interview with Right Sector leaderAndriy Tarasenko was published on Monday. ByWednesday morning, Russia’s telecommunica-tions watchdog had warned Lenta that Russiahad banned publication of “extremist” material.By Wednesday evening, Timchenko had beentold by billionaire Alexander Mamut, the ownerof Lenta’s parent company, Afisha-Rambler-SUP,that she had been replaced. More than 80 ofLenta’s staff signed a letter saying her dismissalwas a result of Kremlin pressure, somethingPeskov said was impossible. “Lenta.ru is a privatepublication. Decisions are made by its owner,and therefore it is absolutely unacceptable toblame anything on the Kremlin here,” he said.

Tarasenko and other Right Sector leadersdeny they are “neo-fascists” as Moscow callsthem, but just interviewing them was enough toget Lenta into trouble. “There was nothing scaryin the interview. In fact, it probably showed infact that they were fascists,” Azar said, referringto Moscow’s position that “extremists and fas-cists” are leading events in Ukraine, where a newpro-Western government has formed after oust-ing its pro-Russian predecessor. Azar, like manyother Russian journalists, is considering seekingwork elsewhere. Perhaps Ukraine would be abetter bet, he says, calling what happened toLenta a second wave of attacks on the mediasince last year.

World War TwoMost journalists in Russia have become used

to a merry-go-round of editors since Putinreturned to power for his third stint as presidentless than two years ago. Some do not mind.Ukraine has become a rallying cry for manyRussians who agree with Putin that attempts toseparate what the president calls the “brotherlynations” should be stopped. They say “extrem-ists” are dictating events in Kiev and are bent onharming Russian speakers in the southernCrimea region and eastern Ukraine. The seizureof Crimea by Russian forces - who Putin says arelocal forces of self defense - has been welcomedby many Russians, propelling the president’s

approval ratings to over 70 percent for the firsttime in three years. The West, which hasridiculed Putin’s denial, is portrayed as a hypo-critical backer of the extremists, unable toappreciate the close bonds between Russia andUkraine formed by the extreme suffering of theSoviets under the Nazis.

As Russian officials start to use Soviet-eraspeech to define a relationship at lows not seensince the Cold War, Russian commentators haveaccentuated the gulf in understanding. “TheWest will never understand us and do you knowwhy?” asked morning radio host VladimirSolovyov. “Because of the Second World War.”While some embrace the new war-like tone, oth-ers working in state-owned media companiesfind it hard to stomach. “It’s pure, simple andutter lies they’re telling about the so-calledprovocations against Russians in easternUkraine,” said a disillusioned employee at a statetelevision company who said the boss had ham-mered home editorial policy in a letter.

Pliant mediaMuch of the time, bosses do not need to step

in, and the Kremlin does not need to issueorders at its weekly meetings with Russianmedia editors. Media owners are keenly aware ofchanges in the mood of the authorities and theirviewers. “Maybe (Lenta owner) Mamut was notresponding at all to Kremlin opinion, or tophone calls from the presidential administration.Maybe he is focused on ratings, on the opinionsof readers, because the public mood is clear,”said Andrei Fefelov, chief editor of Internet tele-vision channel Dyen (Day).

Mamut, who has a fortune of $2.3 billionaccording to Forbes magazine, could not bereached for comment. With only Lenta andonline newspaper Gazeta.ru, Mamut’s mediainterests are tiny compared with the market’sbiggest tycoon, Yuri Kovalchuk, a close friend of

Putin. He indirectly controls a stake in Russia’sbiggest media holding, Gazprom Media, and astake in National Media Group. But even mediaunder the official thumb, like the main statenews agency, is not immune to the drive forabsolute control.

Putin dissolved RIA late last year, and isreplacing it with a new organization, headed byDmitry Kiselyov, who once caused outrage bysaying the organs of homosexuals should not beused in transplants and who says the new groupwill restore “a fair attitude towards Russia as animportant country in the world”. Remainingindependent media are seen as fair game.Dozhd, a television and Internet channel, wastaken off the air by providers nationwide earlierthis year in what its head said was censorship.Pavel Durov, founder of Russia’s biggest socialnetwork Vkontakte, said in January he had soldhis stake to an ally of tycoon Alisher Usmanov,sealing the Kremlin ally’s domination of the site,where anti-Putin protests were advertised in2011.

Timchenko’s sacking was similar to theremoval of Maxim Kovalsky as editor ofKommersant-Vlast news magazine in December2011 after the weekly printed a photograph fea-turing an obscene message addressed to Putinas part of extensive reports on alleged fraud inan election won by the ruling party. It is part of apattern since Putin came to power in 2000,when he ousted the old oligarch-owners in favorof his allies. “Today many people are talkingabout maybe having to change profession, thatquality journalism is not needed in this country,where there is only propaganda,” Marat Gelman,a gallery owner who helped found Lenta, toldEkho Moskvy radio. “There really is this feelingthat we are in a military situation. Yes, really,when a country is at war, then criticism is notallowed.”—Reuters

Media squeeze tightens as Russia harks back to WW2

Editors dismissed, independent outlets under pressure

CRIMEA: Pro-Kremlin activists march in Moscow yesterday during a rally in support of Russia’srecent move on Crimea. — AFP

SEVASTOPOL: People swimming in the cold waters of the harbor of Sevastopol holdRussian national and navy flags to mark their support for Russian forces, as a RussianNavy ship remains stationed in the background yesterday. —AFP

What is Crimea and why does it matter?

CRIMEA: Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula is atthe centre of the worst East-West standoffsince the Cold War.

HistoryCrimea, which juts out into the Black Sea

off southern Ukraine, was absorbed intothe Russian empire along with most of eth-nic Ukrainian territory by Catherine theGreat in the 18th century. Russia’s Black Seanaval base at Sevastopol was founded soonafterwards. More than half a million peoplewere killed in the Crimean War of 1853-56between Russia and the Ottoman Empire,which was backed by Britain and France.The conflict reshaped Europe and pavedthe way for World War One. In 1921, thepeninsula, then populated mainly byMuslim Tatars, became part of the SovietUnion. The Tatars were deported en masseby Soviet leader Joseph Stalin at the end ofWorld War Two for alleged collaborationwith the Nazis. Crimea became part ofRussia within the Soviet Union until 1954,when it was handed to Ukraine, also aSoviet Republic, by Stalin’s successor NikitaKhrushchev, a Ukrainian. Since the collapseof the Soviet Union in 1991, there havebeen periodic political tussles betweenover its status between Moscow and Kiev.

Military significanceRussia’s Black Sea base in Sevastopol

gives Moscow access to the Mediterranean.Ukraine’s fleet, carved out of the sameSoviet fleet as Russia’s, is also based there.Russia leases its base in Sevastopol fromUkraine and a new agreement designed tolast until 2042 was agreed in 2010, inexchange for discounts on Russian gas sup-plies. The Ukrainian government placedrestrictions within the agreement andRussia has since upgraded its own Black

Sea port of Novorossisysk to take naval ves-sels.

GeographyThe mountainous peninsula is attached

to the rest of Ukraine by a narrow strip ofland in the north. To the east, it is separatedfrom Russia by the narrow Kerch Strait.Russia plans to build a bridge across thestrait. With an area of 27,000 sq km (10,000sq miles), it is slightly smaller than Belgium.It is Ukraine’s only formally autonomousregion, with Simferopol as its capital.Sevastopol has a separate status withinUkraine.

PopulationAround 2 million. Ukraine’s 2001 census

showed around 58 percent were ethnicRussian, 24 percent ethnic Ukrainian and12 percent Tatars, who support the newpro-Western government in Kiev.

EconomyCrimea’s temperate climate makes it a

popular tourist destination for Ukrainiansand Russians, especially Yalta, where theSoviet, US and British victors of World WarTwo met in 1945 to discuss the futureshape of Europe. It accounts for three per-cent of Ukraine’s gross domestic product,with 60 percent of its own output made upby services. The land is intensely farmed,with wheat, corn and sunflowers the maincrops. Extra water supplies are brought bycanal from Ukraine’s Dnieper River. Thereare chemical processing plants and iron oreis mined in Kerch. Ukraine has two grainterminals in Crimea - in Kerch and inSevastopol. According to UkrAgroConsult,these have exported 1.6 million tons ofgrain so far this season or 6.6 pct ofUkraine’s total exports.—Reuters

MOSCOW: Since his return to the Kremlin,Vladimir Putin has grown more powerful thanever before. The strongman, who has ruledRussia for the past 14 years, has muzzled hisopponents, check-mated the West on Syria andis now on the verge of annexing Crimea. OnFriday, the Kremlin upped the ante further,hinting it could move forces beyond Ukraine’speninsula to protect his compatriots. But ana-lysts say Putin is becoming king of an ever-more isolated castle, provoking the outsideworld to consolidate control at home in a strat-egy ultimately doomed to fail. Fresh from hissuccess in hosting the Winter Olympics inSochi, Putin saw his moment amid the chaosengulfing Ukraine, where pro-Western demon-

strations last month toppled a leader seekingcloser ties to Moscow.

Gambling that it was safe to ignore thehowls of protest from the West, he sent his sol-diers into Crimea-a largely Russian-speakingpeninsula in the south of Ukraine. “No one isready to f ight over Crimea,” said GlebPavlovsky, a pol it ical analyst and formerKremlin adviser. “The West will have to do itsbest to find a way out. Putin is at the centre ofthis crisis. This strengthens his hand. It will bePutin, not the West, who will decide the fate ofthe Uk rainian revolution.” The two-timeRussian president believes “the West is weak,”said Nikolai Petrov, professor at the HigherSchool of Economics in Moscow. “He believesthat the rules of the game will be changingand he who plays first, wins.”

While the intervention in Crimea was sud-den, Kremlin-watchers suggest it had longbeen planned for and was merely awaiting anopportunity. The referendum called by the pro-Moscow regime and scheduled for today isalmost a foregone conclusion. It marks anotherblack-eye for the West in its dealings withRussia after Putin battled Washington and itsfriends to a standstill over Syria’s chemicalweapons program, wielding his UN SecurityCouncil veto in defense of ally Bashar Al-Assad.That forced a humiliating climbdown for USPresident Barack Obama, who drew a “red line”over the use of chemical weapons, only to seeit stepped over with impunity when oppo-nents saw he would not resort to military force.

‘Regime shifting gears’The seeds for Putin’s power grab were sown

in the winter of 2012, as he prepared to returnto the Kremlin, relieving his protege DmitryMedvedev, who had kept his seat warm sincehis previous stint in the top job. He groundaway his opponents in politics and the media,alternating tough crackdowns with unexpect-ed gestures of mercy, like the release fromprison of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia’srichest man who fell out of favor with the

Kremlin during Putin’s first term. “The regime isshifting towards authoritarianism,” said Petrov.

With his play in Crimea “Putin is able to killtwo birds with one stone: the Western reactionis prompting the system to close up and thepolitical elite is losing its independence and isbecoming more reliant.” At the age of 61, for-mer KGB officer Putin is the undisputed masterof his country, and one of the most powerfulpeople in the world. But, analysts say, theprice he will pay for the control he has, and forthe seizure of Crimea-the sovereign territory ofan independent country-is high, and eachthrow of his dice seems to be closing downoptions, instead of opening them up.

“He is winning but at a very great cost, bothstrategically and economically. It’s a price thatno reasonable person would pay,” saidPavlovsky, a Kremlin adviser in the early 2000s.Russian economic growth is struggling, theruble is on the slide and capital is racing out ofthe country as investors take fright. Threatenedeconomic sanctions from the United Statesand the European Union look set to make thatmuch worse. Putin’s popularity at home wasdriven during his first term by rising standardsof living and the boom in fossil fuel exportsthat Europe and China lapped up, said LiliaShevtsova, an analyst with the CarnegieMoscow Center.

Without the economic dividend, Putin isusing a Cold War-style confrontation with theWest to bolster his support, building a “mili-tarist state where everything works for thesake of defense and not people’s needs”. “Putinis taking the country down the path of theUSSR which will lead to the same fate as that ofthe Soviet Union-the collapse of the state.”Petrov said the crisis over Ukraine offers imme-diate gains for Russia, in terms of the control itwill get over an area that has long played animportant part in the national psyche. “(Putin’s)choice-the besieged fortress model-will workin the short term,” he said. But longer term, it isunlikely to be so clear cut. “He is a brilliant tac-tical player but he is not a strategic one.”—AFP

Strongman Putin playing‘short game on Ukraine’

Russian President Vladimir Putin

BAKCHISARAY: For Sofiya, an elderly museumcurator and an ethnic Tatar watching over a col-lection of Scythian gold inside an Ottomanpalace once inhabited by Crimea’s Muslim Tatarrulers, distrust of the Russians runs deep. Shefrowns as she recalls her grandmother tellingher about the day Soviet soldiers came to theirhome outside Simferopol, the Crimean capital,almost 70 years ago, rounded everyone up, anddeported them to Central Asia. The fact thatRussians living in Crimea at the time later creptinto the Tatars’ empty homes and appropriatedthem for themselves still rankles.

“The Russians said they were afraid to enterour homes and barns for days afterwards,”Sofiya told Reuters, referring to May 18, 1944,the day when Soviet soldiers rounded upCrimea’s Tatars and deported them en masse toCentral Asia to punish them for collaboratingwith Nazi Germany. “But they did enter ourhomes and then they kept them. For us, theRussians are the same as the Soviets. Theypromise us a lot, but later, when we’re undertheir control, they will silence us”, she said,demonstratively placing her palm across hermouth. Seven decades on, Sofiya, whodeclined to provide her surname, and manyother Tatars, Sunni Muslims of Turkic origin, saythey are apprehensive about the prospect ofCrimea leaving Ukraine and becoming part ofRussia in a referendum today. Making up anestimated 12 percent of Crimea’s population of2 million, the Tatars are more forthright when itcomes to asserting their rights than the penin-sula’s ethnic Ukrainians and have clashed withpolice and Russians in the past.

Worried they might disrupt Crimea’s transi-tion to Russian from Ukrainian control, theKremlin and the peninsula’s Russian-backedauthorities have been working hard to winthem over, even inviting one of their spiritualleaders to a meeting with Russian PresidentVladimir Putin in Moscow. Crimea’s pro-Russianauthorities have held out the promise of guar-anteed Tatar representation in the local govern-ment, proper land ownership rights - some-thing many Tatars lack - and financial aid. Theyhave also pledged to extend gas supplies toremote Tatar areas.

In an interview with Reuters on Thursday,Sergei Aksyonov, the leader of Crimea’s sepa-ratist authorities, played down the idea that theTatars were unhappy. “We have always hadconstructive dialogue with the Tatars,” he said.“Financing for Crimean Tatars will be doubledthis year ... It is all calm on the streets. There areno ethnic or religious conflicts and we will nev-er allow that.”

But some Tatars say they have receivedveiled threats. In a disturbing echo of their1944 deportation, unidentified individualsscrawled crosses on a small number of gates atTatar-owned properties in Bakchisaray andSimferopol, the Crimean capital. The markswere swiftly scrubbed off. Some Tatars say they

have been verbally abused on public transport.Others speak of seeing unfriendly men walkingaround with baseball bats. Some worried localshave even set up security patrols to protecttheir loved ones and their homes.

PersecutionThe Tatars, around 250,000 of whom live in

modern-day Crimea, have lived through turbu-lent times. In 1897, census data showed theymade up more than a third of Crimea’s popula-tion. In their heyday, from the 15th to the 18thcentury, they ran a Crimean Khanate. It becamenotorious for enslaving Christian Slavs and sell-ing them on within the Ottoman Empire,something Russian nationalists recall to thisday. With the soaring minaret of its mosqueand elaborate Ottoman-style interiors, the 16thcentury palace at Bakchisaray, where Sofiyaworks, is one of the few remnants of the period.

Russian Empress Catherine the Great endedTatar domination in Crimea when she con-quered it at the end of the 18th century. ManyTatars were massacred or exiled. Others fled.Later, the Soviet Union brought more hardship.Many prominent Tatars were arrested and exe-cuted in Soviet dictator Josef Stalin’s purgesand harsh agricultural collectivisation policiesled to famine. Between 1917 and 1933, histori-ans estimate that half the Crimean Tatar popu-lation died, was killed or deported. Thingsbecame no easier with the advent of World WarTwo. Though many Tatar men served in theRed Army and fought the Nazis - sometimeswith distinction - others joined special units ofthe Waffen SS. When Soviet troops retook thepeninsula, Stalin took his wrath out on theentire Tatar population.

In a single day, Soviet troops roundedeveryone up, loaded them into railway cattlecars and sent nearly 200,000 into exile inCentral Asia. Many died en route. Others diedof malaria or starvation when they arrived.When Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader,finally allowed the Tatars to start returning toCrimea in the 1980s, those who came backfound they could not get their homes back andthat no one wanted to hire them.

‘The enemy’Sofiya, 64, who says she, her mother, her

husband and her three sons only returned fromexile in Uzbekistan in 1985, recalls the periodwith dread. “We were treated like the enemy,”she said. She recalled how a policeman tried toget them to go back to Central Asia, that theywere forced to live six to a room, and that herhusband was offered a job only to have it with-drawn once his employer discovered he was aTatar. “Nobody was waiting for us. Nobodywanted us.” But in time, she says her family andothers slowly rebuilt their lives, buying up oldshacks that Russians and Ukrainians didn’twant to live in, and doing any job, no matterhow menial, to make their way.—Reuters

In Crimea, Russia’s return evokes Soviet ghosts for Tatar minority

I N T E R N AT I O N A LSUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

NEW DELHI: India’s Supreme Courtyesterday stayed the death sentenceof two of the four men convicted ofthe fatal gang-rape of a student inNew Delhi, an attack that horrifiedthe country and sparked weeks ofprotests. The court suspended theexecution of the two men, MukeshSingh and Pawan Gupta, while anappeal of their conviction is heardand asked officials to “communicatethe order to prison authorities”. Thecourt held an emergency sitting yes-terday to hear the motion for thestay of execution. It was not immedi-ately known when the executionshad been due to be carried out.

The two, Gupta and Singh,appealed to the Supreme Court afterthe High Court upheld earlier in theweek the death penalty handed tothe four men convicted of the gangrape last September. On Thursday,the Delhi High Court maintained thefour men’s sentences in the death of

the 23-year-old physiotherapy stu-dent, saying the case fell into the“rarest of rare category” under whichIndia carries out executions. Defenselawyers argued the High Court hadnot properly considered evidence inthe case. The Supreme Court wastold the other two men convicted ofthe crime, Vinay Sharma and AkshayThakur, had not approached the topcourt to appeal the High Court rul-ing.

A fifth suspect had been discov-ered dead in his jail last year, in whatauthorities said was a suspected sui-cide. The sixth member of the group,a juvenile at the time of the crime, isserving a three-year sentence. Thefour were sentenced last Septemberto hang following a trial over theattack on the 23-year-old student ona moving bus in the capital inDecember 2012. The physiotherapystudent was attacked by six men,including with an iron rod, after she

boarded a private bus to go homefrom the cinema with a male friend.They were both later dumped nakedand bleeding on the roadside. Thevictim died 13 days later from theinternal injuries inflicted.

The brutal i t y of the attackappalled the nation and triggeredmassive angry street protests as wellas soul-searching about India’s treat-ment of women. The victim survivedlong enough to give enough infor-mation to police to allow them toarrest her attackers whose trial wasfast-tracked. The case led to tougherrape and sexual assault laws andshone an international spotlight onwhat women’s groups called a “rapeepidemic” in the country. The execu-t ion of the t wo men had beenstayed until March 31 when courtauthorities said their hanging wouldbe further postponed at anotherhear ing unt i l their appeal washeard.— AFP

Supreme Court stays execution of 2 Delhi gang-rapists

NEW DELHI: Indian Defense lawyer AP Singh addresses the media outside theSaket Court complex in New Delhi. — AFP

NEW DELHI: India yesterday said it was “disappointed” bynew US visa fraud charges against an Indian diplomat overher employment of a domestic servant and warned themove could reignite a bitter row between the countries.Government spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said India was“disappointed” the US justice department “chose to obtaina second indictment” against Indian diplomat DevyaniKhobragade even though a US judge threw out similarcharges earlier last week.

“Any measures consequent to this decision in the USwill unfortunately impact upon efforts on both sides tobuild the India-US strategic partnership, to which bothsides are committed,” the Indian spokesman warned. “Thiswas an unnecessary step,” Akbaruddin said in a emailedstatement to AFP, calling the case “without merit” andadding the Indian government will “no longer engage onthis case in the United States’ legal system”. A New Yorkgrand jury re-indicted the senior diplomat accusing her of

two counts of visa fraud and making false statements.Khobragade, who has since returned to India, was

arrested December 12 outside her children’s school and lat-er strip-searched, enraging the Indian government andsome of the Indian public. The row fanned resentmentbetween the two countries, which had embraced each oth-er as strategic partners. Indian lawmakers denounced thediplomat’s treatment as a violation of national sovereigntyand said Washington should not ride roughshod overIndian interests. The deeply unpopular Congress govern-ment, struggling to win back favor in general electionsstarting next month, has been under heavy domestic polit-ical pressure to act tough with Washington.

The fresh charges came two days after a US judge threwout a previous case on grounds the former New Yorkdeputy consul-general was granted full diplomatic immu-nity after her arrest. The new indictment paints a devastat-ing picture of the lengths to which Khobragade allegedlywent to infringe US laws in hiring an Indian nanny-cum-housekeeper when moving to New York in 2012. US prose-cutors, disputing her immunity, accuse Khobragade of forc-ing her maid to work 100 hours or more a week, evenwhen sick and without a full day off, for $1.42 or less anhour. The indictment accuses Khobragade of presentingfalse information to obtain a visa for her housekeeper andcoaching her to lie to US embassy officials.

It says the diplomat drew up a fake contract that con-formed with US labor law but made her sign another con-tract stipulating a salary of $573 a month or $6,876 a yearwithout overtime and US legal protections. The indictmentalso accuses the diplomat of trying to silence and intimi-date the housekeeper, who fled in June 2013 after protest-ing her conditions. Khobragade won in January the fullimmunity granted to Indian mission diplomats to the UN. Itwas on those grounds she petitioned a US court onJanuary 9 to drop the case, before flying back to India,where she now works for the foreign ministry. In laying thefresh charges the court said Khobragade’s immunity didnot cover the time she employed her servant.

A spokesman for the US attorney Preet Bharara, said,“there is currently no bar to a new indictment against her”.The diplomat, who returned to India in January to a hero’swelcome, has told media about her anguish in leavingbehind in New York her two young daughters and her hus-band, a US citizen and academic. US officials have travelledto India and said they want to repair a partnershipWashington sees as a potential bulwark against China’sgrowing might. While Americans took the maid’s side,many affluent Indians who pay their servants far less thanKhobragade was accused of paying hers, supported thediplomat and viewed her treatment as high-handed super-power behavior.—AFP

India ‘disappointed’ at US

re-indictment of diplomat

Khobragade faces new visa fraud charges

Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade

China’s Xi seeks power

and friendship abroadBEIJING: Xi Jinping has spent much ofhis first year as China’s president greet-ing a stream of foreign leaders, but hisgovernment’s dual message of powerand peace has garnered a mixedresponse. Since taking office a year agoon Friday, Xi has made trips to shore upties with the United States and Russia,travelled around Asia, Africa and LatinAmerica, and personally welcomed for-eign dignitaries to Beijing more than80 times, all while governing theworld’s most populous country.

Yet his administration’s hard line onnumerous territorial disputes withneighbours have frayed ties withAsia’s other key economy Japan, andreinforced fears in the region andbeyond that China’s rise poses a

threat-something it constantly denies.The two-pronged approach is inten-tional. As Xi explained in a key speechon diplomacy last October, China’sgoals overseas are “to strive for favor-able external conditions for China’sreform, development and stability”and to “uphold national sovereignty”.But he faces a “fundamental contra-diction” in the “attempt to both charmand go on the offensive”, said PaulHaenle, director of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy atTsinghua University in Beijing.

The “divergent behavior risksundermining China’s regional diplo-matic strategy if continued”, he said inemailed comments. China’s globalinterests are expanding-although itstruggles to develop an overarchingforeign policy-while others are keento forge ties with the rising power. “It’snatural that countries near and far,small and large, seek to build strongties with China,” Haenle said. At thesame time, he added, “China isincreasingly dependent on externaltrade to secure energy, resources, andfood security, and thus is highly prag-matic when it comes to forging for-eign relations for mutual benefit”.

Comprehensive diplomacyIn his first year as president Xi visit-

ed more than a dozen nations, from aBRICS gathering in South Africa to anAPEC summit in Indonesia, with multi-country stops in Latin America andCentral Asia, while Premier Li Keqiangtravelled to South Asia, Europe andelsewhere. Xi paid extra attention tokey countries, taking his first trip aspresident to Russia and returning

twice more within the year. Moscow isa fellow UN Security Council memberwith which Beijing often sides oninternational affairs-although it hasadopted an ambiguous position onthe Crimea crisis.

Three months into Xi’s term hetravelled to California for a two-daysummit with President Barack Obama,where he touted a “new type of great-power relationship”, signaling China’sdesire to both strengthen ties withthe US but also command greaterrespect. Xi also managed to meet for-eign leaders visiting Beijing nearlyonce every four days on average. Itseemed no country, from Suriname toMacedonia to Fiji, was too small towarrant a handshake from one of theworld’s most powerful people. “Thatbasically covers great powers, regionaland developing countries. So it’s avery comprehensive, all-fronts sort ofdiplomacy,” said Jingdong Yuan, anexpert on Chinese foreign policy atthe University of Sydney.

‘We are less friendly’In his speech on diplomacy in

October, attended by Li and all thecountry’s top leaders, Xi said Chinaneeded to “be more active in blue-printing diplomatic strategy andundertaking diplomatic work”. “Weshould clearly present our policies tothe outside world... and let the senseof common destiny take root with ourneighbors,” he said. Yet by flexing itsmuscle in territorial disputes withneighbors, Xi’s administration escalat-ed tensions with Japan and thePhilippines and worried other coun-tries. —AFP Chinese President Xi Jinping

BANGKOK: Gunmen shot dead afemale teacher in insurgency-rivensouthern Thailand on Friday and sether body on fire, police said, in the lat-est attack on an education worker. The42-year-old was riding a motorbike towork at an elementary school in theMayo district of Pattani province whenshe was attacked. “Gunmen shot herand set fire to her body,” a local policeofficer said by telephone. She was the171st education worker to be killedduring the decade-long conflict inThailand’s Muslim-dominated deepsouth near the border with Malaysia.

The insurgency has claimed morethan 5,900 lives-the majority of themcivilians-in near-daily attacks includ-ing shootings, bombings and evenbeheadings. Teachers are amongthose targeted by the shadowy net-work of militants for their perceivedcollaboration with the Thai state.Experts say a recent spike in deaths ispartly due to the stalling of peacetalks while the Thai government strug-gles to deal with opposition protestsin Bangkok. The insurgents want a lev-el of autonomy from Thailand, whichannexed the region over a centuryago. They accuse Thai authorities ofwidespread human rights abuses anda lack of respect for their religion, cul-ture and language.

Asylum seekers sentencedIn another development, Thailand

yesterday sentenced dozens of asylumseekers thought to be from China’sUighur minority for illegal entry, anofficial said, despite a US appeal fortheir protection. About 120 adultsamong the group were fined 4,000baht ($124) each by a court in south-ern Thailand, according to police, whosaid they were waiting to identify thefamilies before deciding their fate. Themen will be detained by immigrationand the women and children will betaken to a shelter, Police MajorGeneral Thatchai Pitaneelaboot saidby telephone. The group of roughly200 people was discovered in a raidon a suspected people smugglingcamp on Wednesday in the kingdom’sdeep south. They presented them-selves to police as Turkish, but US-based activists have identified themas Uighurs, a Turkic-speaking, pre-dominantly Muslim group fromChina’s northwestern Xinjiang region.

Thailand, which says their nationali-ty is still unconfirmed, has not saidwhether they might be forced toreturn to China, but the kingdom has ahistory of repatriating illegal immi-grants. The Turkish embassy and theUN refugee agency have been provid-ing assistance. On Friday the US State

Department urged Thailand “to pro-vide full protection” to the asylumseekers. The latest annual US humanrights report said that China carriesout “severe official repression” ofUighurs in Xinjiang, including overtheir freedom of speech and religion.Xinjiang is periodically hit by violentclashes and Chinese officials blamedUighur separatists for a March 1 massstabbing at a train station in the south-western city of Kunming that killed 29people and injured 143 others.

Under pressure from Beijing, coun-tries including Cambodia, Malaysiaand Pakistan have all in recent yearsforcibly returned Uighurs to China.The Uighur American Association, aWashington-based advocacy group,voiced concern over the group, whichit described as Uighurs, and urgedThailand to cooperate with the UNHigh Commissioner for Refugees. “Thisgroup of Uighurs should not be a testof Thailand’s relationship with China,but a test of Thailand’s ability to followinternational refugee standards,” saidassociation president Alim Seytoff.Thailand has long been a hub for peo-ple trafficking, with thousands ofRohingya boat people from neighbor-ing Myanmar believed to have passedthrough the k ingdom in recentyears.—Agencies

Teacher shot dead, burned in Thailand

I N T E R N AT I O N A LSUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

SAN AGUSTIN: Jennifer Pulga enduredthe depths of helplessness as shepumped the last air her husband wouldbreathe into his typhoon-battered body,and her life since has felt barely any morein control. A coconut tree crashedthrough the thatched roof of the Pulga’stiny home in an isolated farming villageof the central Philippines during SuperTyphoon Haiyan in November, crushingRichard and igniting a torturous passageto death. With no vehicle to evacuate thefarmer and roads in the area initiallyunpassable due to typhoon debris, it tookhis wife a week to get him to the nearestmajor hospital 60 kilometers away.

But that hospital, in the ruined city ofTacloban, was overwhelmed and medicscould do little for Richard other thanamputate one leg and give Jennifer apump to manually inflate his lungs.Jennifer kept her husband alive for sev-en hours, the sound of the handheldventilator like a mournful fog horn amida sea of agony as other patients diedfrom injuries that doctors said couldhave been treated if there was electricityand medicines. “I was praying and hop-ing that he would live. I was praying thateven if he is disabled, that’s okay, as longas he lives, that’s all I want,” Jennifer, 28,told AFP on a recent visit to see how shewas coping.

Poverty deepens griefCompounding the grief of losing her

husband of seven years, Jennifer was leftdestitute with a four-month-old daugh-ter, Irish, and a six-year-old son, RJ.Haiyan, which was one of the most pow-erful storms ever recorded, is believed tohave killed about 8,000 people, mostlyin farming and fishing communities thatwere already among the poorest in thePhilippines. The Pulga family comesfrom one of the most impoverished ofthose farming villages, in a scenic butunruly part of Leyte province known as ahaven for communist guerrillas and oth-er armed bandits.

The Pulgas lived in a dirt-floor hutmade of bamboo, coconut wood andpalm thatch, tending 10 hectares (24acres) of coconut tree plantations and aone-hectare rice field left to them byRichard’s deceased father. Richard, whodied aged 27, would earn some extramoney giving rides on his motorcyclealong a rocky track to people in his andneighboring villages. The farm andRichard’s motorcycle riding earned themabout 3,000 pesos ($70) a month, justenough to survive when supplementedby vegetables they grew for themselvesand pigs raised for food.

Like thousands of other farmers inthe region, the family’s main source ofincome was lost when Haiyan destroyedmost of their coconut trees, which takemore than five years from planting tobear fruit. “I don’t have anything now,Richard was our breadwinner,” said

Jennifer, whose only previous paid workwas as a domestic helper in the nation’scapital, Manila, when she was a teenag-er. The young widow and her two chil-dren went to live with Richard’s 68-year-old mother, Guadalupe, in a neighbor-ing village. The in-law’s two-storey con-crete house had its roof partially rippedoff during the typhoon and has still notbeen repaired, although it provides ade-quate shelter and RJ can attend thelocal school for free.

Surviving on donationsBut the two women have no source

of income, and are almost totally relianton food aid that has been delivered bythe government and relief agencies.Guadalupe has another farmer son, butone of his children was killed and hishouse destroyed in the typhoon, so heis unable to provide financial help. “Weare just living day-to-day. We are tryingto do the best we can but we don’thave any money. So we are just concen-trating on what we have now. If there’snone, well, that’s it,” Guadalupe said.Jennifer has nine siblings but theirfinancial health is little better, and theonly contribution from her immediatefamily since Richard’s death has been a1,000-peso ($22) donation from a sister.“I just wish I can find a job, for my chil-dren, for the future of my children.That’s all I wish for in life, that I can sup-port my children until they grow up,”

she said. But Jennifer said a higher pri-ority for the moment was breastfeedingIrish, ruling out travelling for work.

Impossible dreamJennifer’s ideal job would be to run a

small stall outside her mother-in-law’shome, selling daily household itemsand food, so that she could stay close toher children. She estimates setting upthe business would cost about 10,000pesos, an impossible amount. Andwhile billions of dollars are being spentin an effort to help the typhoon-hit

areas recover, little of it appears to betrickling up to the base of the pictur-esque mountains where the Pulgas live.Aside from the food aid, Jennifer andher in-laws said they had been offeredno other support, such as money, mate-rials or expertise to help rebuild orrepair their homes and farms. Stil l,Jennifer appears not to be focused toomuch on the future, with her concen-tration dominated by the struggles ofsurviving each day and the ceaselessgrief. “Now I am alone and I can’t bearit,” she said.— AFP

Endless torment for Philippine typhoon widow

LEYTE: Typhoon victim Jennmifer Pulga points to the site in the house whereher husband was hit by a falling coconut tree at a village in Jaro Town, Leyteprovince. — AFP

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s new government agreed to acompromise policy statement yesterday that fellshort of explicitly enshrining the militant groupHezbollah’s role in confronting Israel but whichwould give all citizens the right to resist Israelioccupation or attacks. The agreement on thecompromise language came after weeks of dis-pute brought the government to the verge ofcollapse, and now paves the way for PrimeMinister Tammam Salam to put his governmentto a vote of confidence.

Information Minister Ramzi Jreij toldreporters that most ministers had agreed on acompromise statement that declares Lebanesecitizens have the right to “resist Israeli occupa-tion” and repel any Israeli attack. The deal wasreached a few hours after Israel’s army said itfired tank rounds and artillery into southernLebanon in retaliation for a bomb that targetedits soldiers patrolling the border. No injurieswere reported on either side. The Israel-Lebanonborder has been mostly quiet since Israel andHezbollah fought an inconclusive war in 2006,but Israeli forces still hold at least three pocketsof occupied territory which are claimed byLebanon.

“Based on the state’s responsibility to pre-serve Lebanon’s sovereignty, independence andterritorial integrity and the security of its citi-zens, the government affirms the duty of the

state and its efforts to liberate the Shebaa Farmsand Kfar Shouba Hills and the Lebanese part ofGhajar through all legitimate means,” the gov-ernment statement said. It also “affirms the rightof Lebanese citizens to resist Israeli occupationand repel aggressions and recover occupied ter-ritory”. Agreement on the declaration paves theway for Salam to put his government to a vote ofconfidence, almost exactly a year after he wasfirst asked to try to put together a cabinet fol-lowing the resignation of his predecessor, NajibMikati.

The declaration reflected a compromisebetween the Hezbollah-led political coalition,which sought to guarantee Shiite Hezbollah’sright to fight Israel and to justify maintaining itshuge weapons arsenal, with Sunni-led politicalopponents who sought to emphasize the role ofthe state in carrying arms. Tensions betweenHezbollah and its Sunni opponents insideLebanon have been sharply heightened by thecivil war in neighboring Syria, where Hezbollahfighters have been battling alongside PresidentBashar Al-Assad’s forces against Sunni rebelswho are backed by many Lebanese Sunnis.

Jreij said some ministers expressed reserva-tions because the statement failed to spell outLebanese state control over the military conflictwith Israel and because it refers to “resistance”,Hezbollah’s label for its military operations. A

functioning Lebanese government would finallybe in a position to pursue an offshore oil and gasexploration license round that was delayed formonths by the political deadlock. Salam has alsosaid he hoped the emergence of the new gov-ernment will allow Lebanon to hold presidentialelections before President Michel Suleiman’smandate expires in May and also hold parlia-mentary polls that were postponed last year dueto the political impasse.

Lebanon, still struggling to recover from itsown 1975-1990 civil war, has found its internaldivisions worsened by the conflict in Syria,whose sectarian divisions mirror its own.Sectarian violence has erupted sporadically inthe past year, particularly in the north, and carbombings targeting both security and politicaltargets have increased dramatically, withHezbollah-dominated areas being the most fre-quent target.

Syria-linked clashesMeanwhile, the death toll from three days of

fighting between members of two Muslim sectsin the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli rose to 10yesterday, security and medical sources said, inviolence stoked by the civil war in neighboringSyria. One person was killed by a sniper and fourmore died on Saturday from injuries sustainedearlier in the week during clashes between SunniMuslims and members of the Shiite-derivedAlawite sect in Lebanon’s second city.

The fighting broke out on Thursday after gun-men fatally shot a Sunni man who had Alawitefamily members and lived in a mostly Alawitearea of the city. A 10-year-old girl died in theresulting clashes and three others died fromtheir wounds the next day. More than 50 people,including at least eight Lebanese soldiers, werewounded in clashes in which snipers and rocket-propelled grenades were used. The fighting hadslowed yesterday following intervention by thearmy, but snipers from both sides were still oper-ating around Syria Street, which separates theAlawite enclave of Jabal Mohsen from the Sunnidistrict of Bab Al-Tabbaneh.

The sources said most of those killed werecivilians and that they were all Sunni Muslims,though one of them had lived in the Alawiteneighborhood. The long-standing rivalrybetween Tripoli’s Alawites and Sunnis has wors-ened because of sectarian tensions in Syria,where the three-year-old conflict has killed morethan 146,000 people. Lebanese Sunnis largelysupport the Sunni-led uprising against PresidentBashar al-Assad, who tends to enjoy the backingof his fellow Alawites. The periodic clashes in thecoastal city have been fought with increasinglysophisticated weaponry, as rocket-propelledgrenade launchers have been used alongsidelighter weapons like assault rifles.— Agencies

TRIPOLI: Smoke rises from a fire after gunmen from Jabal Mohsen fire a rocket-propelled grenade during clashes with gunmen from Bab Al-Tebbaneh in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli. — AFP

Lebanese govt to allow citizens to resist Israel

10 dead in Syria-linked clashes in Tripoli

HOMS: Photo shows the cemetery in the once rebel-held neighborhood of Baba Amro in thecentral Syrian city of Homs. — AFP

KANO: Two Nigerian men sentenced to havea hand amputated each for theft have hadtheir convictions overturned, in the latestacquittals to raise questions about standardsin the Islamic justice system. Taxi driversNasiru Abubakar and Anas Mohammed werefreed by the sharia appeal court in the north-ern city of Sokoto on March 2, which ruledthere were procedural errors in their 2010 tri-al. The pair, both 25, had spent three yearsbehind bars and were unaware that theycould challenge the conviction and sentenceuntil a prison official took up their case withthe state government.

“The (appeal) judge picked holes with thejudgment of the lower court, which he saidwas not in conformity with the provisions ofIslamic sharia law, as a result of which the twoyoung men were discharged and acquitted,”court clerk Bube Lawwali said. According tothe judge, the lower court did not establishthe case of theft and the 10,000 naira ($63) incash which was allegedly stolen was neverfound in the men’s possession. In addition,the complainant, who alleged the suspectshad stolen the money when he used theirtaxi, did not even attend court to give evi-dence during the initial trial.

Low benchmarkSharia courts run parallel to the state and

federal judicial systems in northern Nigeriaand are largely used by Muslims to resolveproperty, inheritance and matrimonial dis-putes. They made headlines internationallyearlier this year when a number of menappeared before a sharia court in the city ofBauchi accused of homosexuality, which istheoretically punishable by death. LawyerUmar Ado said the taxi drivers’ case was sig-nificant because it highlighted glaring prob-lems in the system. “The appeal judgment hasfar-reaching implications and exposes theinadequacies in the capacity of the shariajudges and procedural abuse in the shariacourts,” he said.

Another lawyer, Abdulhamid Zubairu,added that no witnesses were even sum-moned to give evidence at the trial and thedefendants were unaware of their statutoryright to appeal. “The judge ought to have told

them they could appeal the sentence within30 days, as a matter of procedure,” he said.Ado attributed the situation to what he calledthe “flagrant disregard to judicial procedures”by many judges and a “lack of full grasp ofsharia legal provisions”. Currently anyone withknowledge of Islamic law and school exami-nation certificates can be appointed as asharia court judge, explained Ado. But heargued that was not good enough: somejudges delivered judgments too quickly,“playing to the gallery” and a public whowrongly believe that sharia is all about pass-ing harsh sentences. “Before a sharia judge isappointed, he should undergo rigorous com-petence tests and background checks toensure he is the right person for the job,” headded.

Need for reformAnother lawyer, Suleiman Hassan, said a

lack of appropriate sanctions against incom-petent judges was not helping matters andmade some judges “flaunt procedures withimpunity”. Since the reintroduction of thesharia justice system in 12 northern states 15years ago, dozens of amputation sentenceshave been handed down. But only two havebeen carried out, with the remainder over-turned on appeal largely for “procedural errorand outright contravention of the sharia law”,said Ado.

The acquittals on appeal include the casesof at least four women who were sentencedto death for adultery after they gave birth outof wedlock. “In fact, some people currentlylanguishing in jail were unjustly imprisonedwithout any help coming from anywhere,”said Kabiru Dodo, a government official whoinitiated the taxi drivers’ appeal. A senior judi-cial official in Zamfara state, which pioneeredthe re-introduction of sharia, acknowledgedthat the issues needed to be tackled. “We areaware of such shortcomings on the part ofsharia court judges and I believe the ongoingnationwide criminal justice system reformintends to rectify this anomaly,” he said oncondition of anonymity. “It is, however, notsomething that can be rectified overnight. Itis a gradual process that requires a tactful butfirm approach.”— AFP

Lawyers call for reform in Northern Nigeria’s sharia

North Korea threatens to flex nuclear muscle

SEOUL: North Korea has threatened todemonstrate its nuclear deterrence in a moveanalysts say could indicate the regime ispreparing to carry out a fourth atomic testamid long-stalled disarmament talks. Thepowerful National Defence Commission(NDC), chaired by leader Kim Jong-Un, saidon Friday that the North would continueefforts “to bolster up its nuclear deterrencefor self-defense”. “And additional measureswill be taken to demonstrate its might oneafter another as long as the US nuclear threatand blackmail persist as now”, it added in astatement carried by Pyongyang state media.

North Korea and its main ally China wanta resumption of six-party talks on the North’snuclear weapons program, but Washingtonand Seoul both insist that Pyongyang mustfirst demonstrate some tangible commit-ment to abandoning nuclear weapons. “TheUS had better roll back its worn-out hostilepolicy towards the DPRK (North Korea) assoon as possible and shape a new realisticpolicy before it is too late,” the NDC state-ment added. “This would be beneficial notonly to meeting the US interests but also toensuring the security of its mainland.”

In March last year, North Korea’s militaryput its “strategic” rocket units on a war foot-ing and threatened to strike targets on theUS mainland, Hawaii and Guam, as well asSouth Korea as tensions soared. Despite asuccessful long-range rocket launch inDecember 2012, most experts believe NorthKorea is years away from developing a gen-uine inter-continental ballistic missile thatcould strike the mainland United States.Analysts in Seoul said the NDC statement onFriday indicated North Korea was mullingthree options-a fourth nuclear test, the firingof a long-range rocket and the unveiling of

progress in its program of enriching uranium.North Korea carried out nuclear tests in 2006,2009 and in February last year.

‘Expression of frustration’“This warning is not about an imminent

action but an expression of frustration withWashington, which refuses to budge an inchdespite Beijing’s efforts to draw it back to dia-logue”, Professor Yang Moo-Jin told AFP.Professor Kim Yeon-Chul of Inje Universitysaid the North might consider carrying out atest using enriched uranium it has beendeveloping for the past two years in additionto its plutonium-based weapons. The NDCstressed the North would never make a first,unilateral move towards giving up its nuclearweapons program despite US pressure to doso. The statement also lambasted what itcalled a “groundless human rights racket”against the North by the United States.

Robert King, the US special envoy onNorth Korean human rights, said the UnitedStates supported UN action on North Korea’shuman rights record after a hard-hitting UNreport last month compared the regime’streatment of its people to the Holocaust. Hevoiced confidence that the UN Human RightsCouncil would pass a resolution on the totali-tarian state’s record at its session this monthin Geneva. In a 400-page report last month, aUN Commission of Inquiry documentedextermination, enslavement and sexual vio-lence by North Korea. The commission’sAustralian chairman Michael Kirby drew aparallel with the Holocaust and demandedinternational action. But China holds vetopower on the Security Council and has pub-licly rejected referring the leaders of NorthKorea, its ally and neighbor, to theInternational Criminal Court for trial.—AFP

SUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014N E W S

Continued from Page 1

In his speech, Saadoun warned that the number ofcorrupt people was increasing in Kuwait but vowed thatreforms will continue. Saadoun said that Kuwait is onthe verge of economic collapse if the current economicsituation continues in the same way, adding that accu-

mulated deficit could exceed KD 400 billion.The large numbers of activists and journalists who

attended the gathering filled up Saadoun’s diwaniya.The movement began distributing membership cards afew days ago and will remain open. Political parties areillegal in Kuwait but a large number of political groupsoperate freely as de facto political parties.

Oppn launches rebranded Popular Action...

Continued from Page 1

government forces. He urged countries backing theopposition “to commit to their promises of givingsophisticated weapons” to rebels.

“We are fighting a brutal war and facing enemies whohave no values or morals such as the gangs of(Hezbollah leader) Hassan Nasrallah ... mercenaries ofhypocrisy coming from Iraq all the way to the head ofthe snake in Tehran,” Jarba said in a speech in Istanbul.“Oh Syrians: Our revolution will be victorious and thechemical terrorist regime will go. The battle is not longbecause we have passed the most difficult part.” Statemedia in Syria did not mention the anniversary.

In Beirut, international aid agencies said that everystatistic tracking the lives of Syrian children has wors-ened as the conflict grinds on, warning an entire genera-tion of is at risk. Suggesting how badly Syria has unrav-eled, UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said anestimated 2.3 million children last year were in need ofshelter, food, health care, education or psychologicalhelp for the trauma they suffered. That number has near-ly doubled to 5.5 million children this year, he said.

Yesterday, Syrian state television said troopsadvanced in Yabroud near Syria’s border with Lebanon,and now control of much of the area between the twocountries. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights saidthe Syrian air force conducted at least 15 air raids on thetown as heavy clashes raged on the town’s outskirts. Itsaid at least five opposition fighters were killed fighting

government forces backed by Hezbollah members.Yabroud is the last major rebel-held town in the

mountainous Qalamoun region, where Assad’s forceshave been waging an offensive for months to try to sev-er rebel supply lines across the porous border. Hezbollahofficials say many of the car bombs that exploded in thegroup’s strongholds in Lebanon over the past monthswere made in Yabroud. Hezbollah openly joined Syria’scivil war last year, fighting along Assad’s forces and tip-ping the battle in its favor in areas close to Lebanon.

Lebanese broadcasters Al-Mayadeen and Hezbollah’sAl-Manar aired live footage from outside Yabroud show-ing bombs landing over the city. Al-Manar showedfootage of dead men, some of them bearded. It alsoshowed Syrian troops shooting and firing rocket-pro-pelled-grenades at rebels in the area. One of the Syriancommanders in the area told Al-Mayadeen that troopsadvanced “hundreds of meters (yards) inside Yabroud.”He added that troops captured the nearby Saint MarounHill that overlooks Yabroud. “We will cut supply lineswith neighboring countries and the fighters will bebesieged in specific areas then wiped out,” the officer,who did not give his name, said.

Also yesterday, Lebanon’s state-run National Newsagency said two rockets, apparently fired by Syrianrebels, struck the Lebanese border villages of NabiOthman and Labweh, killing one person and wound-ing two. Syrian rebels have been shelling Lebaneseborder villages where Hezbollah enjoys wide sup-port. — Agencies

Top Kuwaiti fighter killed in Syria

Continued from Page 1

before leaked documents showed massive onlinesnooping by intelligence agents. “Every president,every board of ICANN since its inception has beenworking toward this day,” ICANN president and chiefexecutive Fadi Chehade said during a conference call.

The end of the US oversight role has no immediateimpact for Internet users, and ICANN will continue toadminister the network’s key technical functions. Thechange affects US government oversight of “rootzone” of databases underlying the Internet whichmakes Washington a steward of that system, eventhough the functions are contracted out to ICANNand the infrastructure company Verisign. “The timingis right to start the transition process,” said AssistantCommerce Secretary Lawrence Strickling, who addedthat he looked forward to “an appropriate transitionplan.”

The statement said the US hopes to “support andenhance the multi-stakeholder model,” and “maintainthe openness of the Internet” under any new system.ICANN said its role as administrator of the Internet’sunique identifier system remains unchanged. “TheInternet’s Unique Identifier functions are not apparentto most Internet users, but they play a critical role inmaintaining a single, global, unified and interopera-ble Internet.” ICANN said.

But the change leaves some questions unansweredon the future stewardship of the Internet. DanielCastro of the Information Technology and InnovationFoundation said the United States “was bullied intomaking the change” due to pressure over the revela-tions of leaked NSA documents from former contrac-

tor Edward Snowden. “The Snowden disclosures aremerely a pretext,” Castro said in a blog post. “While theNSA revelations have rightly angered many peoplearound the world, they have nothing to do withInternet governance. The US Depar tment ofCommerce has not once abused its oversight ofICANN to aid the intelligence community.”

Castro said the change opens the door to othergovernments such as Russia or China modifying theInternet architecture for political reasons. Without USoversight, “ICANN would not be accountable to any-one, and would be motivated only by the interests ofthose individuals who control the organization,” theanalyst added.

Greg Shatan, a US lawyer who is a member of anICANN working group, said the change is “a big deal,”but that Washington is not walking away entirely fromits role in the Internet. The change affects “the plumb-ing of the Internet” but ICANN still has obligations tothe US under its “Affirmation of Commitments,” Shatanadded in an email. “By making this announcement,the US is trying to make sure the transition happenson its own terms, and that the US is setting the rulesfor the transition.” The European Union recently calledfor these modifications, but some other countrieshave been seeking deeper changes, such as placingthe Internet under UN control - which came up at aheated 2012 gathering of the UN’s InternationalTelecommunications Union. “The US is making surethat the ITU and the UN do not take this oversightfunction,” Shatan said. “The press release is very clearthat the US will not accept any proposal that replacesUS government oversight with a government or inter-governmental solution.” — AFP

US giving up Internet oversight

Continued from Page 1

The national defence council headed by interimpresident Adly Mansour pledged to “avenge the sol-diers’ precious blood”. Interim prime minister IbrahimMahlab called an emergency meeting for later in theevening to discuss a response to the attack, an officialsaid. Most of the attacks since Morsi’s ouster have beencarried out in the Sinai, but militants have expandedtheir reach to the Nile Delta and the capital in recentmonths.

The government has mostly blamed Morsi’s MuslimBrotherhood, which renounced violence decades agoand has denied any involvement. “An armed groupbelonging to the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood attackeda military police checkpoint,” the military said of yester-day’s attack. But the outlawed movement’s leader AmrDarrag denied the accusation. “I condemn the killing ofEgyptian soldiers. How can the Muslim Brotherhood beaccused a few minutes after the attack with no evidence

or investigation,” he said on Twitter.Most prominent attacks, including a car bombing at

a police headquarters in Cairo and the downing of amilitary helicopter in Sinai, have been claimed by AnsarBeit al-Maqdis (Partisans of Jerusalem), a Sinai-basedjihadist movement. The group said in a statement Fridaythat one of its founders, Tawfiq Mohamed Fareej, diedlast week when a car accident set off a bomb he wascarrying.

Fareej led a 2011 cross-border attack in Israel thatkilled eight people and was also involved in a failedattempt on the life of Egypt’s interior minister, it said.The group has said the attacks in Egypt are in retalia-tion for a brutal government crackdown on Morsi’sIslamist supporters, which Amnesty International sayshas claimed some 1,400 lives. State-run news websiteAl-Ahram also reported Fareej had died, but said hewas killed by an army raid in the Sinai peninsula. Thearmy was not immediately available to comment onthis. — Agencies

Six troops killed in Cairo attack

Continued from Page 1

original flight path,” he said. He called it an “excruci-ating time for the families of those on board.” The newinformation appeared to cast aside a host of theorieson the plane’s disappearance, which has transfixed theworld and left frustrated families of the 239 passengersand crew baying for scarce information.

Previous scenarios included a sudden mid-air explo-sion, catastrophic equipment or structural failure, or acrash into the South China Sea. But Najib’s announce-ment opened a whole new avenue of speculationincluding an attempted 9/11-style attack. The 9/11hijackers had turned off the transponders of three ofthe four planes that were commandeered.Transponders transmit data on a plane’s location to airtraffic controllers.

MH370’s transponder was manually shut off, Najibsaid. The plane’s Aircraft Communications Addressingand Reporting System (ACARS) was also switched off,he added. Final satellite communication with theBoeing 777, scheduled to fly from Kuala Lumpur toBeijing, came more than six-and-a-half hours after itvanished from civilian radar at 1:30 am on March 8, saidNajib. That would equate with the time MalaysiaAirlines has said the plane would have run out of fuel.

Investigators had concluded the plane was divertedwest from its original flight path, and thus a search inthe South China Sea would end, Najib said, but wouldcontinue in the Indian Ocean. But the new search zoneis now dauntingly large - Najib said the plane could beanywhere from Kazakhstan to the southern IndianOcean. Officials at Kazakhstan’s state air navigationservice were not available for comment while inTurkmenistan, state aviation officials referred queries tothe Foreign Ministry.

Earlier, a senior Malaysian military official had toldAFP investigators believed the plane was comman-deered by a “skilled, competent and current pilot” whoknew how to avoid radar, stopping short of speculatingwhether a hijacker or crewmember was suspected. Anaviation expert told AFP that while it is easy to turntransponders off, a great deal of expertise is needed todisconnect ACARS.

Dozens of ships and aircraft from 14 countries havebeen deployed across a huge search zone since MH370went missing. As the search continues, investigatorswill focus on who would have diverted it and why.Malaysian security officials were earlier embarrassed byrevelations that two Iranian men had managed toboard the plane using stolen European passports. It

could also bring new attention on Captain ZaharieAhmad Shah, 53, and his First Officer Fariq AbdulHamid, 27.

Malaysian reporters told AFP they witnessed policeenter Zaharie’s house yesterday, staying for two hours.Police declined comment to AFP. An Australian televi-sion station had days earlier broadcast an interviewwith a South African woman who alleged she and afriend were invited into the cockpit of a flight Fariq co-piloted in 2011 - a breach of post-9/11 security rules.The New York Times quoted American officials withknowledge of the investigation saying the plane sawwild fluctuations in altitude after it changed course.

“Investigations should focus on criminal and terror-ist motives,” said Rohan Gunaratna, a terrorism expertat Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University. “It islikely that the aircraft was hijacked by a team knowl-edgeable about airport and aircraft security. It is likelythey are supported by a competent team from theground.” But Gerry Soejatman, a Jakarta-based inde-pendent aviation analyst, told AFP yesterday’s revela-tions make a possible terror motive “extremely difficultto understand”. “If that was deliberate, we may be deal-ing with something beyond the mission planning for9/11,” he said.

Most of the plane’s passengers were Chinese and theMalaysian leader’s remarks did little to ease the nervesof anguished relatives gathered at a hotel in Beijing. “Ifeel (Malaysia Airlines) has been playing a role in theincident,” said Wen Wancheng, whose son was aboard,suspecting “a conspiracy”. He remained hopeful his sonwas alive. The airline defended its handling of the crisis,which it called “an unprecedented situation for MalaysiaAirlines and for the entire aviation industry.”

The plane has one of the best safety records of anyjet, and the airline also has a solid record. Malaysia hasnot been the target of any notable terror attacks, butanalysts say it is home to several individuals alleged tobe operatives of militant Islamic groups such as the Al-Qaeda linked Jemaah Islamiyah.

Yesterday, China said it had demanded that Malaysiakeep providing more thorough and accurate informa-tion, and added that it was sending a technical team toMalaysia to help with the investigation. China’s Xinhuastate news agency said in a commentary that Najib’sdisclosure of the new details was “painfully belated”.“And due to the absence - or at least lack - of timelyauthoritative information, massive efforts have beensquandered, and numerous rumours have beenspawned, repeatedly racking the nerves of the awaitingfamilies,” it said. — Agencies

Jet’s disappearance ‘deliberate’

KUALA LUMPUR: A woman writes a message for passengers aboard a missing Malaysia Airlines plane at ashopping mall yesterday. — AP

THE LEADING INDEPENDENTDAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF

ESTABLISHED 1961

Founder and Publisher YOUSUF S. AL-ALYAN

Editor-in-ChiefABD AL-RAHMAN AL-ALYAN

EDITORIAL : 24833199-24833358-24833432ADVERTISING : 24835616/7FAX : 24835620/1CIRCULATION : 24833199 Extn. 163ACCOUNTS : 24835619COMMERCIAL : 24835618

P.O.Box 1301 Safat,13014 Kuwait.E MAIL :info@kuwaittimes.netWebsite: www.kuwaittimes.net

All articles appearing on thesepages are the personal opinion ofthe writers. Kuwait Times takes noresponsibility for views expressedtherein. Kuwait Times invites read-ers to voice their opinions. Pleasesend submissions via email to: opin-ion@kuwaittimes.net or via snailmail to PO Box 1301 Safat, Kuwait.The editor reserves the right to editany submission as necessary.

On a dusty training ground in Niger, US Special Forces teachlocal troops to deal with suspects who resist arrest. “Speed,aggression, surprise!” an instructor barks as two Nigeriens

wrestle a US adviser out of a car. The drill in the border town of Diffais part of Exercise Flintlock, a counter-terrorism exercise for nationson the Sahara’s southern flanks that the United States organiseseach year. Washington’s aim is to tackle Islamist militants in theSahel region while keeping its military presence in Africa light.

A growing number of European nations taking part shows theirincreasing concern about security in West Africa. Central to theinternational effort is a blossoming relationship between the UnitedStates and France, the former colonial power and traditional “police-man” of the turbulent region. When Paris deployed 4,000 troops tofight Islamist militants in neighbouring Mali last year, the US militarylent a hand by airlifting French soldiers and equipment, providingintelligence and training African forces to join the operation.

French troops are stretched by hunting the militants in Mali andtackling religious violence in Central African Republic, so only ahandful participated in Flintlock. Nevertheless, they welcomed theirnew partnership with Washington. “The Americans want to getinvolved in Africa. That’s good for us. We know that with theAmericans it will be more efficient,” said a French Special Forces offi-cer, who asked not to be named. “We use American logistics - that’swhat we are missing. On the other hand, we provide the localknowledge.” The United States fast-tracked the sale of 12 Reaperdrones to France last year, the first two of which started operating inNiger in January alongside US drones already there. In a reminder ofthe partnership, a drone quietly taxied past troops and dignitaries atFlintlock’s closing ceremony in the capital of Niamey before takingoff to scour the Sahara.

US Facing Budget CutsMilitary experts say direct US military action in Africa is limited to

short raids on “high-value” targets in places such as Somalia and Libya,while French troops take on longer, bigger operations. J Peter Pham,director of the Africa Center at the US-based Atlantic Council, said thisarrangement suited US military planners who face budget cuts and adiminished American appetite for combat after conflicts in Iraq andAfghanistan. However, he warned that the French military was at thelimit of its ability to strike militants hard. “If the French are not able toprovide that blunt instrument, is the US willing to do so?”

Nine years after the Flintlock exercises began, the enemy hasevolved from a group of Algerian-dominated fighters focused onnorthern Mali and now threatens nations across the Sahara and thearid Sahel belt to the south. For most of 2012, militants occupiednorthern Mali, a desert zone the size of France. Scattered by aFrench offensive last year, many are believed to be regrouping insouthern Libya.

Hundreds of people are being killed every month in clasheswith Boko Haram militants in northern Nigeria. Many in Niger fearthis conflict could spill over the border and the government inNiamey has appealed for more military support. “Instability inneighbouring states has given everybody a new incentive,” GeneralJames Linder, commander of US Special Operations CommandAfrica, told Reuters while visiting Niger. This year’s three-weekFlintlock exercise - involving over 1,000 troops from 18 nations - wasthe biggest yet and runs alongside more permanent training by USSpecial Forces in Niger, Mauritania, Senegal and Chad.

Training in Diffa, only a few kilometres from where Boko Harammilitants are fighting the Nigerian army across the border, rangedfrom basic patrolling skills and setting up checkpoints to sharingintelligence and providing medical care. In a region where armiesoften lack basics such as ammunition for target practice and fuel forvehicles, the quality and tempo of the US-sponsored exerciseeclipses the training most soldiers in the region receive in a year.Colonel Mounkaila Sofiani, the local Niger commander, saidFlintlock and other US initiatives helped his country to tackle threatsfrom the west, north and south better. “Little by little people arebeing trained,” he said. “Once there are enough, they’ll form thespine of a reliable force.”

Training is meant to build up coordination between armies butSofiani said just finding radio equipment compatible betweennations is difficult. In the field, officers exchange mobile phonenumbers to bypass blockages in official channels. A lack of trustbetween governments also hinders responses. At a recent meetingof intelligence chiefs, the Nigerien and Libyan representativesargued over the risk of instability spreading from Libya’s lawlesssouth, a diplomat told Reuters. Coups in Mauritania, Niger and Malisince the Flintlock exercises began also halted cooperation untilcivilian rule was restored. Mali’s 2012 coup, led by a captain with UStraining, opened the door to the Islamist takeover of the north,prompting questions about what the years of exercises hadachieved. Pham said better military capabilities had not beenmatched by improvements in governance, citing a failure by Mali totackle corruption. Chad’s military, however, has won praise for lead-ing the charge alongside French troops in flushing out the militantsfrom Mali’s desolate northern mountains. —Reuters

By David Lewis

Issues

US military treads lightly

in Africa

A N A L Y S I SSUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

By Giles Hewitt

Confirmation that a missing Malaysian airliner was deliber-ately diverted suggests several scenarios that will sharp-en scrutiny of the cockpit crew and passengers known to

have boarded with stolen passports. Prime Minister Najib Razakannounced yesterday that satellite and radar data clearly indi-cated the plane’s automated communications had been dis-abled and the plane then turned away from its intended pathand flown on for hours. “These movements are consistent withdeliberate action by someone on the plane,” he said, addingthat investigators had consequently “refocused their investiga-tion into crew and passengers on board.”

Since the Sept 11, 2001 terror attacks, the International CivilAirline Organisation has mandated high security standards forplane cockpits. Cockpit doors - reinforced to withstand bullets -must be locked from the inside before push off from the gate.“So for me there’s only a few scenarios,” said Paul Yap, an avia-tion lecturer at Temasek Polytechnic in Singapore. “First thepeople involved in the deliberate actions are the pilots, one ofthem or both of them in cahoots. Then we have a scenariowhere terrorists make the pilots change course and switch offthe transponders under duress, maybe threatening to kill pas-sengers,” Yap said.

The transponder of MH370 was switched off around thetime analysts said it would have reached its cruising altitude,when pilots often emerge to take a bathroom or coffee break.The hijackers of the four planes used in the 9/11 attacks turnedoff the transponders of three of the jets.

Flight Crew Under ScrutinyFlight MH370 was under the command of Captain Zaharie

Ahmad Shah, 53, and his First Officer Fariq Abdul Hamid, 27 -whose records and personal lives have already come underscrutiny. An Australian television report broadcast an interviewwith a young South African woman who said Fariq and anotherpilot colleague invited them into the cockpit of a flight he co-piloted from Phuket, Thailand to Kuala Lumpur in 2011. Since9/11, passengers have been prohibited from entering cockpitsduring a flight. Malaysia Airlines has said it was “shocked” by thereport, but that it could not verify the claims.

The son of a high-ranking official in the public works depart-ment of a Malaysian state, Fariq joined Malaysia Airlines whenhe was 20. He is a mild-mannered “good boy” who regularly vis-ited his neighbourhood mosque outside Kuala Lumpur, said themosque’s imam, or spiritual leader. The far more seasonedZaharie joined MAS in 1981 and had logged 18,365 hours of fly-ing time. Malaysian media reports quoted colleagues callingZaharie a “superb pilot”, who also served as an examiner, autho-

rised by the Malaysian Civil Aviation Department, to conductsimulator tests for pilots. Malaysian reporters told AFP they wit-nessed police enter Zaharie’s home yesterday, spending twohours there. Police declined comment to AFP.

If hijackers are suspected, then the glare of suspicion willfall again on two passengers who boarded with stolen EUpassports. Interpol had identified the two men as Iranians:Seyed Mohammed Reza Delavar, who used a stolen Italianpassport, and Pouria Nourmohammadi, who used an Austrianone. Both passports had been stolen in Thailand. Interpolchief Ronald Noble said last Tuesday that the men werethought to be illegal immigrants who had travelled fromDoha to Kuala Lumpur in a round-about bid to reach Europe.Interpol’s information suggested the pair were “probably notterrorists”, Noble said at the time.

Terrorists ‘Don’t do’ HijackingsAdam Dolnik, a professor of terrorism studies at the

University of Wollongong in Australia, said he still doubtedthat organised terrorism was behind the Malaysian plane mys-tery. While a group like Al-Qaeda “would love to bring downan airliner”, a Malaysia Airlines plane made little sense as a tar-get and the stolen passports had an “amateurish” element,Dolnik said. “Terrorists don’t do (hijackings), because the

chances of success have gone down,” he said, citing the chal-lenge of bringing weapons onto a plane and subduing otherpassengers. There has been no indication yet of any possibleterrorist involvement.

Malaysia has not been the target of any notable terrorattacks. But terror analysts say it is home to several individualsalleged to be operatives of militant Islamic groups such as theAl-Qaeda linked Jemaah Islamiyah. Most of the passengers onthe Beijing-bound Malaysia Airlines flight were Chinese nation-als. China is grappling with simmering anger among its Muslimethnic Uighur minority in the country’s remote far west, manyof whom openly complain of Chinese repression.

It has blamed Uighur separatists for a string of violent inci-dents including a coordinated knife attack in the southwesterncity of Kunming on March 1 that left 29 people dead. Malaysiahas deported at least 17 Uighur Muslims who were travellingon fake passports back to China since 2011.

London-based David Kaminski-Morrow, air transport editorfor Flight International, warned of the danger of rushing to con-clusions following Najib’s announcement yesterday. “The newevidence is consistent with deliberate action, but it’s still only asmall amount of data - certainly not a complete picture - andtherefore it’s still premature to label the event formally as ahijack,” Kaminski-Morrow said. —AFP

Focus back on pilots, stolen passports

By Greg Torode

From high-resolution satellites to advancedwarships, China’s military build-up is on fulldisplay in the hunt for a missing Malaysian

jetliner - putting Asia on notice as to whatBeijing might do in the future to further assertits regional presence. The search for the MalaysiaAirlines Boeing 777 and its 239 passengers andcrew has exposed tensions between Beijing andKuala Lumpur, with Chinese officials fromPremier Li Keqiang on down criticisingMalaysia’s handling of the crisis. China has sent ateam of envoys and investigators to Malaysia todeepen its involvement.

While Beijing’s concerns reflect, in part, pub-lic anxiety over the fate of more than 150Chinese on board Flight MH370, the searchcomes at a time when China has been flexing itsmuscles in the disputed South and East ChinaSeas. One aerospace and defence industrysource with years of experience in the regionsaid the Chinese response would stick in theminds of its neighbours. “This is a demonstrationof force in a peaceful context,” said the source,who declined to be identified because he wasnot authorised to speak to the media.

China has deployed four warships, fourcoastguard vessels, eight aircraft and trained 10satellites on a wide search area far from main-land China. Chinese media have described theship deployment as the largest Chinese rescuefleet ever assembled. The missing plane’s lastreported contact with civilian radar was near themouth of the Gulf of Thailand, which opens intothe South China Sea. The aircraft was bound forBeijing after taking off from Kuala Lumpur.Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang

on Monday acknowledged Malaysia had the“main responsibility” for both the search and thefollow-up investigation. He added, however, thatBeijing had a responsibility not only to partici-pate but to “demand and urge” Malaysia to stepup its efforts.

Once Warm Ties?Ironically, China’s ties with Malaysia had been

among its warmest in the region despite a dis-pute over territory in the South China Sea.However, Chinese warships staged a show ofsovereignty just two months ago at the JamesShoal, a submerged reef about 80 km offMalaysia’s Borneo island state of Sarawak - andsome 1,800 km from mainland China. Beijingregards those waters as its southernmost territo-ry, the bottom of a looping so-called nine-dashline on maps that comprise 90 percent of theSouth China Sea. The Philippines, Vietnam,Brunei and Taiwan are also in dispute withBeijing over parts of the ocean.

The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)deployment at the shoal was led by one of itsthree state-of-the-art amphibious assault ships.Two of those 20,000-tonne vessels - theKunlunshan and the Jingangshan - have joinedthe search for the missing plane. “The Chineseare drawing the conclusion that these guys arenot ready for prime time,” said Ernie Bower, aSoutheast Asia specialist at Washington’s Centerfor Strategic and International Studies, referringto Malaysia.

The fruitless search has shone the spotlighton a series of fumbling news conferences byMalaysian officials and a long delay in divulgingdetails of the military’s tracking of what couldhave been the plane hundreds of miles off

course. Malaysian government officials say theyare coping as best they can with a highly com-plex crisis. Regional naval officials and analystssaid one of the big questions now was what theprotracted search - and China’s growing con-cerns over Malaysia’s response - would mean forBeijing’s approach to the region in future.

While many foreign experts see Beijing’sdeployment as robust, Chinese state televisionand other media reports have referred to a lackof Chinese capabilities to conduct extendedsearch and rescue operations far from the main-land coast. More facilities would be needed fordealing with humanitarian disasters, oneChinese expert said, even though China hadexpanded listening posts, ports and runways atits facilities in the disputed Paracel and Spratlyarchipelagoes of the South China Sea. “This willnot be the last time. China has a responsibilityand calling to join in,” said Ruan Zongze, a for-mer Chinese diplomat with the China Instituteof International Studies, a think tank affiliatedwith the Foreign Ministry.

The Chinese effort is already sparking con-cern among the public in Vietnam, where battlesover sovereignty against China go back decades.Social media has been active with postings,comments and deep suspicion about the pres-ence of Chinese planes and warships near theVietnamese coast. Deputy Transport MinisterPham Quy Tieu, head of Vietnam’s search andrescue effort, told Reuters that China had askedpermission for its ships and planes to enterVietnamese territory and that Hanoi remained in“total control”. “China only flies and searches athigh altitude, its boats never go deep inside ourwaters. So we are not concerned about breachesof our sovereignty,” Tieu said.

‘New Historic Missions’Ian Storey, an expert on ties between China

and Southeast Asia, said Beijing’s deploymentreflected its regional military build-up and thePLA’s so-called “new historic missions”, whichincluded protecting Chinese nationals abroad.The crisis would bolster the case of those inChina who believe that as the country’s globalinterests expand, its defence budget shouldgrow to protect those interests, added Storey,from the Institute of South East Asian Studies inSingapore. China this month announced a 12.2percent rise in military spending to 808.23 bil-lion yuan ($131.57 billion) for 2014, but gave nobreakdown of how the money would be spent.

Its military spending, second only to theUnited States, has allowed China to create amodern force that is projecting power not onlyacross the East and South China Seas, but fur-ther into the western Pacific and Indian Oceans.Bower said the confused search highlightedweak military cooperation in Asia and the needfor better coordination between Washingtonand its Asian allies and partners. A long-runningeffort by the Association of South East AsianNations (ASEAN) to tie China to a binding agree-ment on measures to lower tensions in theSouth China Sea includes search and rescuecooperation.

Such cooperation is part of the discussions,and ASEAN envoys said this could be accelerat-ed outside the broader and more sensitive talks.“Since we don’t have that collaborative effortwell established yet, I think the Chinese are,whether intentionally or unintentionally, send-ing a message to their citizens that Malaysia is asmall country that’s not able to manage well,”said Bower. —Reuters

Nervous region eyes robust Chinese response

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak (center), Malaysia’s Minister for Transport Hishamuddin Hussein(left) and Director General of the Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation Azharuddin Abdul Rahman deliv-er a statement to the media regarding the missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner yesterday in Sepang. —AP

S P O RT SSUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

West Brom sack AnelkaLONDON: West Bromwich Albion have given French striker Nicolas Anelka noticethey are terminating his contract for gross misconduct, the Premier League clubsaid in a statement on Friday. Anelka, who was given a five-match ban by the FA fol-lowing his controversial ‘quenelle’ salute during a match on Dec. 28, had earlier saidon Twitter he was quitting the Midlands team.

“The club considers the conduct of Nicolas Anelka on December 28, coupledwith his purported termination on social media this evening, to be

gross misconduct,” West Brom said. “As a result the club has tonightwritten to Nicolas Anelka giving him 14 days’ notice of termina-tion as required under his contract,” they added on their website

(www.wba.co.uk).Anelka, who turned 35 on Friday, made the ‘quenelle’ salute,

which is associated with anti-Semitic sentiments, when hescored the first of his two goals in a 3-3 draw in a league game at

West Ham United’s Upton Park ground. Earlier on Friday, the for-mer France striker tweeted that he was quitting the club but West

Brom said they had not received any official notification ofhis intention to end his contract. “Following my

talks with the club I’ve been told I could beback in the squad under certain conditionsthat I can’t agree,” Anelka said on his Twitteraccount (@anelkaofficiel).—Reuters

Mikaela grabs slalom winLENZERHEIDE: Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States completed her exceptional slalomseason with a fifth World Cup race win yesterday. The Olympic champion was 1.44 sec-onds faster than any rival in one of the longest women’s slaloms in World Cup history. “Idid a pretty good job the first run I guess so I felt more comfortable the second run,and just trying to hold on to it,” Shiffrin said.

She had a two-run combined time of 2 minutes, 4.54 seconds. FridaHansdotter of Sweden was second and Austria’s Marlies Schild was third,trailing 1.66 behind Shiffrin.

Shiffrin already clinched her second straight World Cup disciplinetitle one week ago when winning a race at Are, Sweden. “I amvery proud. One of my goals this year was to hold on to theslalom globe,” she said. Shiffrin led the standings from startto finish after winning the season-opening race inNovember at Levi, Finland.

Her ninth career World Cup victory came two daysafter her 19th birthday. Shiffrin will also race the season-ending giant slalom today. Only four racers werewithin two seconds of Shiffrin on a tiring end-of-season course yesterday. “You have to try to just beas efficient as you can and not waste any energy,”Shiffrin said after the first run. “Try to just stay close tothe gates as you can, make sure you are moving quick inbetween and let your skis do the rest of the work.”—AP

Maltais wins final raceLA MOLINA: Canada’s Dominique Maltais capped her snow-board cross World Cup title by winning the final of race of theseason on Saturday, while Paul Berg of Germany beat Olympicsilver medalist Nikolay Olyunin.

Maltais overtook and held off Lindsey Jacobellis to edge outthe American and win the women’s final under sunny skies in thePyrenees mountains. Raffaella Brutto of Italy finished third afterYuka Fujimori of Japan crashed.

Maltais, who won the silver medal at the Sochi Olympics lastmonth, ended the season with 5,400 points. Jacobellis was nextwith 3,760, followed by Alexandra Jekova of Bulgaria with 2,850.

Berg then rode flawlessly through the course to finish aheadof Russia’s Olyunin, with Spaniard Regino Hernandez comingthird after he and Canadian Christopher Robanske slowed eachother down early in the descent. On Friday, Omar Visintin of Italyclaimed the World Cup title when Australian Jarryd Hughes, theonly rider with a chance to overtake Visintin in the standings,failed to qualify. Visintin didn’t advance beyond Saturday’s quar-terfinals. Olympic champion Pierre Vaultier of France fell early inthe round of 16.—AP

San Jose 4, NY Islanders 3; Washington 4, Vancouver 3;Detroit 2, Edmonton 1 (So); Florida 5, New Jersey 3;Nashville 3, Chicago 2; NY Rangers 4, Winnipeg 2; Calgary4, Dallas 3 (SO); Anaheim 6, Colorado 4.

Western ConferencePacific DivisionW L OTL GF GA PTS

Anaheim 44 16 7 216 171 95 San Jose 44 17 7 213 165 95 Los Angeles 38 23 6 164 142 82 Phoenix 31 25 11 185 191 73 Vancouver 30 29 10 163 187 70 Calgary 27 33 7 163 199 61 Edmonton 23 36 9 169 223 55

Central DivisionSt. Louis 45 14 7 219 150 97 Colorado 43 19 5 206 180 91 Chicago 38 15 14 227 178 90 Minnesota 35 22 9 163 162 79 Dallas 32 23 11 191 185 75 Winnipeg 30 29 9 186 199 69 Nashville 29 28 10 163 197 68

Eastern ConferenceAtlantic Division

Boston 44 17 5 210 145 93 Toronto 36 24 8 201 207 80 Tampa Bay 35 24 7 191 175 77 Montreal 35 25 7 167 170 77 Detroit 30 23 13 174 184 73 Ottawa 28 25 12 185 213 68 Florida 25 35 7 166 217 57 Buffalo 19 39 8 131 196 46

Metropolitan DivisionPittsburgh 44 17 4 206 159 92 NY Rangers 36 28 4 177 169 76 Columbus 34 26 6 193 183 74 Philadelphia 33 25 7 184 190 73 Washington 31 27 10 197 205 72 New Jersey 29 25 13 166 173 71 Carolina 29 28 9 167 187 67 NY Islanders 25 34 9 191 232 59

Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in thestandings and are not included in the loss column (L).

NHL results/standings

WINNIPEG: Henrik Lundqvist stopped 30 shots to matchthe Rangers’ record for career wins, and Swedish country-man Carl Hagelin scored three goals to lift New York to a 4-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets in the NHL on Friday.

Lundqvist tied the mark of 301 wins with the Rangers,set by Stanley Cup-winner Mike Richter. Lundqvist willhave a chance to break the record today at home againstSan Jose. Chris Kreider also scored for the Rangers, whowent 1-2 on a three-game trip, bouncing back from a 2-1loss at Minnesota on Thursday. New York took a 1-0 lead onits third shot of the game. Dustin Byfuglien and AndrewLadd scored for the Jets, who have lost six straight and arefighting to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Jets failed toearn a point as they had in three of the previous five losses.

SHARKS 4, ISLANDERS 3Matt Nieto and Jason Demers scored first-period goals

as San Jose defeated New York for its fifth straight win. JoeThornton and Marty Havlat added goals in the second asthe Sharks improved to 20-6-3 against the NHL’s EasternConference. Antti Niemi made 35 saves for San Jose.

Anders Lee, Brock Nelson and Frans Nielsen scored forthe Islanders, who lost for the fifth time in six home games.New York, which began a four-game homestand followinga 2-1-1 trip, has an NHL-worst 9-17-8 home record. FormerSharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov stopped 22 shots for theIslanders in his first start against them.

DUCKS 6, AVALANCHE 4Kyle Palmieri scored two goals in 47 seconds, and

Anaheim netted six in the second period to beat Colorado.Corey Perry, Daniel Winnik and Ben Lovejoy also scored forthe Ducks, who stopped a four-game skid with theirbiggest offensive output since they scored nine goalsagainst Vancouver on Jan. 1.

Jonas Hiller made 34 saves two nights after giving upthree goals on five shots before being pulled.

The Ducks stayed tied with San Jose for first place in thePacific Division. Both teams have 95 points, but the Duckshave played one fewer game.

CAPITALS 4, CANUCKS 3Mike Green netted the go-ahead goal in the third peri-

od, Alex Ovechkin also scored, and Evgeny Kuznetsov hadthree assists for his first NHL points, as Washington edgedVancouver. Washington led 3-1 early in the third beforeShawn Matthias and Nicklas Jensen scored for Vancouverto tie it. Green put the Capitals ahead for good with 9:41left, scoring with a slap shot off a feed from NicklasBackstrom from behind the net.

Joel Ward and Tom Wilson also scored for the Capitals.Jaroslav Halak made 38 saves. Jordan Schroeder scoredVancouver’s other goal, and Chris Higgins and ChristopherTanev both had two assists. Eddie Lack stopped 17 shots.

PANTHERS 5, DEVILS 3Scottie Upshall scored the go-ahead goal as Florida

held on to beat New Jersey. Vincent Trocheck, Brad Boyes,Quinton Howden and Brian Campbell also scored forFlorida. Roberto Luongo stopped 28 shots. JonathanHuberdeau had two assists, and Boyes also had an assist.

Patrik Elias had a goal and assist, and Bryce Salvadorand Jaromir Jagr also scored for the Devils. Cory Schneidermade 17 saves. The Panthers ended a three-game losingstreak and handed the Devils their first loss in three games.

RED WINGS 2, OILERS 1Tomas Tatar scored on Detroit’s third shootout attempt,

and Jimmy Howard stopped all three Edmonton attemptsin the Red Wings’ win.

Edmonton’s Ryan Smyth tied the game midway throughthe third period, scoring on a shot set up by Detroitdefenseman Brendan Smith’s backhanded giveaway. RileySheahan put the Red Wings ahead 1-0 late in the first peri-od. Edmonton has the worst record in the WesternConference and isn’t far from being eliminated from theplayoff race for the eighth straight season.

PREDATORS 3, BLACKHAWKS 2Roman Josi had three assists and Ryan Ellis scored in the

third period as Nashville beat Chicago for its third consecu-tive win.

Mike Fisher and Patric Hornqvist also scored forNashville, which has won two of three against Chicago thisseason. Shea Weber had an assist, and Pekka Rinne made31 saves.

It was the second straight loss for the Blackhawks, whodropped to 10-8-7 in 2014. Jonathan Toews and PeterRegin scored for Chicago, and Corey Crawford made 26saves in his 200th NHL game.

FLAMES 4, STARS 3Mike Cammalleri scored two goals and Corban Knight

netted the winner in a shootout as Calgary erased a two-goal deficit in the third period to beat Dallas.

It was the Stars’ first home game since forward RichPeverley collapsed on their bench on Monday. Peverleygot a standing ovation in the first period, four nights afterhe was revived by medical personnel during a gameagainst Columbus that was postponed.

Trailing 3-1 late in the third, Calgary’s Paul Byron andCammalleri scored a pair of goals three minutes apart toeven the score, leading to the shootout. — AP

Rangers ground Jets

WINNIPEG: New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist (30) saves a shot from Winnipeg Jets’ Jim Slater (19) asRangers’ Martin St. Louis helps to defend during the second period of an NHL game. — AP

KUWAIT: Following the success of its soft launch inOctober - where hundreds of people attended towitness some of the largest car, motorbike, anddrifting parades seen in Kuwait - SIRBB Circuit final-ly opens its gates for public bookings and walk-ins.

In the few months since its launch, SIRBB Circuithas become Kuwait’s premier motorsports destina-tion and gathering point, and the center to mostmajor motor-related events and activities. In under4 months, SIRBB was host to Road Rush 2013 — awomen’s only kart racing event — in addition toGulf Run’s 2013 24-Hour Karting Endurance Race,the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro launch, theLamborghini Huracan private viewing, the PorscheOpen Day, the Classic Car Festival, the ClassicPickup Festival, as well as a multitude of corporateevents and weekly local car club meetings andgatherings.

“We’re really excited about finally being able topass on the fun to everyone” says Julian Hayward,the Facility Director. “We’ve been working hard onsetting the stage for the public and solidifying oursafety standards - and making sure it’s a pleasant

and thrilling experience for all our visitors”.Mustafa Makhseed, General Manager of

Kuwait’s Historical Vintage & Classic Cars Museumsaid, “I think everyone here has waited a long timefor a place like SIRBB, seeing as we have one of theregion’s highest concentration of motor lovers andinvestors.

People in Kuwait go out of their way to attendand be part of motor-related activities all over theworld, and now it’s finally just next door at home.From what we’ve seen over the last few months,SIRBB Circuit attracts men and women from allages and backgrounds, and we’re gearing up tobecome Kuwait’s prime destination, thanks to thecontinuing support of His Highness Sheikh NasserAl Mohamad Al Sabah to automotive enthusiast inKuwait, and also to Abdulaziz Isaac, member of theBoard of Trustees of the museum, for his guidanceand input to the Museum’s plans.”

Eng. Zakaria Dashti, Executive Manager of theHistorical Vintage & Classic Cars Museum, added,“We’ve been getting walk-ins and bookings non-stop since we’ve announced our public opening

last weekend, which is very exciting for us and forKuwait. We have great plans for SIRBB, that we willbe announcing later, but we guarantee that SIRBBwill always provide motorsport enjoyment inKuwait.”

SIRBB Circuit is the GCC’s newest karting facility,built on modern, state-of-the-art grounds. A trulyunique spot in Kuwait, SIRBB Circuit lies at theheart of motor city in Shuwaikh Industrial, rightnext to the Historical Vintage & Classic CarsMuseum and opposite Alghanim Motors - at theintersection of the Jahra and Airport Roads. Underthe auspices and generous support of HisHighness Sheikh Nasser Al Mohamad Al Sabah,SIRBB Circuit is hoping to become the new hub forautomobile enthusiasts and thrill-seekers, and tocelebrate all things motor, with a host of experi-ences already in motion like karting, drift rides andthe exclusive Ariel Atom. With more surprises to berolled out over the course of the year, SIRBB Circuitis a place where Kuwaitis and expats alike can final-ly live their love for motorsports, right here in theirhometown.

SIRBB Circuit now open to public

S P O RT SSUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

INDIAN WELLS: Flavia Pennetta of Italy hits a returnto Li Na of China during the BNP Paribas Open atIndian Wells Tennis Garden. — AFP

INDIAN WELLS: Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns a shot to Julien Benneteau ofFrance during the BNP Parabas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. — AFP

INDIAN WELLS: Italian veteran FlaviaPennetta upset China’s Australian Openchampion Li Na on Friday to join Poland’sAgnieszka Radwanska in the women’sfinal of the BNP Paribas Open at IndianWells. The 32-year-old Pennetta qualifiedfor the biggest singles final of her careerafter a 7-6(5) 6-3 drubbing of an out-of-sorts Li.

Pennetta will face Radwanska inSunday’s final after the Pole avenged herloss to Romania’s Simona Halep in Qatarlast month with a 6-3 6-4 win on theCalifornian desert hardcourts.

Li beat Pennetta in the quarter-finalsof the Australian Open in January but theItalian was too good this time. “I think weplayed really good tennis tonight,”Pennetta said.

“In Australia I didn’t have any chanceagainst her, but tonight I played muchbetter. I just fought and tried my best. Ofcourse I’m happy.”

Radwanska, ranked third in the world,sealed the first set with an ace after shebroke Halep’s opening service game butfound herself trailing the second whenthe Romanian broke.

But the 25-year-old Pole regainedcontrol, getting back on level terms thengetting a second break and serving outher victory to reach her first final atIndian Wells.

“What I was trying to do was playaggressively from the beginning of thematch and just try to go for my shots,”said Radwanska. “I was lucky. I think I wasserving better than other days, so thathelped today as well. I think it was a pret-ty good match.”

Halep took some consolation fromher defeat as she wi l l r i se to f i f thp l a ce i n t h e wo r l d w h e n t h e n e wrankings are released tomorrow. “Itwas a tough match,” said Halep. “Sheplayed really well.

“She deserved to win today. Every ballwas in for her, and I had to run a lot. Ithink I started the match a bit too soft. Iwas not ready to play.

“But she is a great player. It’s alwaysdifficult to play against her. I wanted tofind my way to play. I did, but (it) was toolate in first set. She was better than metoday.”

Li was promoted to the women’s seedin the absence of world number oneSerena Williams but had struggled withher serve all week.

She had similar problems againstPennetta, coughing up eight doublefaults in the first set alone, as the playerstraded eight service breaks beforePennetta won the tiebreaker.

Li’s serve improved in the second setbut her forehand let her down as shestarted to spray shots all over the courtand Pennetta seized her chance, sealingher victory with a backhand winner.

“It’s not bad. It’s not like I lost my firstmatch,” Li said. “At least I had a fewmatches here, and making semis isn’tbad.

“It’s not like I lost to a bad player. Shewas playing really well today. It’s nothingto worry about. I have a couple of thingsI want to improve for the next tourna-ment.”

For Pennetta, reaching the finalcapped an incredible year for a womanwho was primarily regarded as a doublesplayer.

Less than a year ago, her singles rank-ing had plummeted to 166 and she wasconsidering retiring, before she made afairytale run at the US Open, reachingthe semi-finals. “I’m surprised,” Pennettasaid. “In the beginning of the week if youtold me, ‘You’re going to make the finalhere,’ I would have said, ‘Mmmm, I don’tthink so!’ “So I’m really happy. I’m happywith my game.” — Reuters

Pennetta to face Radwanska

in Indian Wells women’s final

INDIAN WELLS: Serbia’s Novak Djokovicand American John Isner cruised into thelast four of the BNP Paribas Open at IndianWells on Friday with straight-sets wins inthe quarter-finals.

Djokovic hardly raised a sweat in theCalifornian desert as he eased to a 6-1 6-3victory over Frenchman Julien Benneteau,before the towering Isner rode his boom-ing serve to a 7-6(4) 7-6(3) win over Latvia’sErnests Gulbis.

Djokovic was not at his absolute bestbut was never in any real danger againstthe 32-year-old Benneteau, who beat himat Indian Wells eight years ago when theSerb was still a teenager.

Djokovic, 26, raced through the open-ing set in less than half an hour with twoservice breaks and four aces despite thewindy conditions and an approachingsand storm.

The first six games of the second set allwent with serve before Djokovic reeled offthe last three in a row to seal a comfortablevictory in less than 70 minutes.

He broke Benneteau for a 4-3 lead whenthe Frenchman double faulted, then againto wrap up the win when his opponent hita forehand long and wide.

“I felt like I was very focused on thecourt from the start, and it’s what I waslooking for. I t ’s never too easy,” said

Djokovic, who won the Indian Wells title in2008 and 2011.

“First few matches I played good tennisbut I had some ups and downs. Today wasvery stable from the first to the last point.

“He made a lot of unforced errors, andobviously I just needed to make him playan extra shot and serve well. I have doneeverything I wanted.”

Isner had a tougher time against Gulbis,winning the opening set in a tiebreakerafter the first 12 games went with serve.

Isner fell behind in the second set whenGulbis found a way to break his serve butthe Latvian was unable to capitalise as theAmerican broke back and won the secondtiebreaker.

Djokovic was beaten by Isner in thesemi-finals at Indian Wells two years ago,losing tiebreakers in the first and third sets.“He’s definitely not somebody you like toplay in the big heat with such serve,”Djokovic said. “I t ’s very challengingbecause he doesn’t miss his serve toomuch, so you have to kind of be able tohold your composure from the first to thelast point and be ready to play three tie-breaks.”

Late yesterday’s other semi-final will bebetween Switzerland’s Roger Federer andAlexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine, who wontheir quarter-finals on Thursday. —Reuters

Djokovic, Isner

ease into semis

Garrigus

grabs PGA lead

PALM HARBOR: Robert Garrigus, anAmerican seeking his second US PGATour title, fired a five-under par 66 toseize a three-stroke lead after Friday’ssecond round of the $5.7 million ValsparChampionship. Garrigus stood on sev-en-under 135 after 36 holes on theCopperhead Course at Innisbrook withcompatriot Kevin Na second on 138after a second-round 68.

Americans Pat Perez and Matt Every,who were among four players to sharethe 18-hole lead, fired par 71s to sharethird on 139 with reigning US Openchampion Justin Rose and Italy’s MatteoManassero.

Australian Greg Chalmers, who alsoopened on 68, shot a 72 to share sev-enth on 140 alongside 2010 winner JimFuryk, John Merrick, Scott Langley andLuke Guthrie.

South Korean-born New ZealanderDanny Lee, who shared the 18-hole lead,fired a 79 and missed the cut. Garrigus,who lost a playoff two years ago atInnisbrook, opened with a 10-foot parputt, sank a seven-foot birdie putt at thepar-5 fifth and a 17-foot birdie putt toclose the front nine. Garrigus, who wonat Disney World in 2010, opened theback nine with a bogey but followedwith a birdie at 11 and another at thepar-5 14th, then added a 27-foot birdieputt at the 15th before closing withthree consecutive pars.“Very solid put-ting the first two days,” Garrigus said. “Ihit it a little better yesterday in the wind.I hate to say it’s a better round, it was 2-under to 5-under, but it was definitely abetter ball-striking round.—AFP

LENZERHEIDE: Marcel Hirscher clinched his thirdstraight overall World Cup title yesterday butcouldn’t prevent Ted Ligety from winning his fifthseason-long giant slalom trophy.

A race that came down to a few hundredths ofa second saw Hirscher finish fourth, giving himenough points to clinch the sport’s biggest prize.

Ligety won the race and thereby tied theAustrian on points in the season-long disciplinestandings, giving the American the GS title on atiebreaker as he had more race victories.

“It’s an unbelievable happy day,” said Hirscher,content to concede the discipline to the Americandubbed “Mr. GS” by race announcers.

“My big goal was the overall World Cup titleand I got it and I’m so happy,” said the 25-year-oldHirscher, the first man to win three in a row sinceAmerican Phil Mahre completed the feat in 1983.

Hirscher needed 19 points to overtake AkselLund Svindal of Norway, who led the standingsgoing into the race but skied out in the first run.Fourth place gave the Austrian 50 points.

Hirscher completed Austria’s first overall titledouble s ince 2002, a f ter Anna Fenningerclinched her first women’s title this week. Theyboth come from vil lages near Salzburg andraced each other as juniors. Ligety earned hisvictory in a crowd-pleasing race by just 0.03seconds ahead of runner-up Alexis Pinturault ofFrance, in a two-run combined time of 2 min-utes, 15.63 seconds.

“I’m super-thrilled. That was by the skin of myteeth today,” Ligety said. He still relied on a bigassist from first-run leader Felix Neureuther ofGermany to make clinch the discipline title as thenarrow margins all fell Ligety’s way.

Ligety, the Olympic champion in GS, was sec-ond-fastest in the morning and had time in thestart house to absorb the second-leg target set byHirscher. Hirscher finished outside provisionalleader Pinturault’s time, leaving Ligety an opening.

The 29-year-old American came down barelyfaster than Pinturault, drawing applause fromHirscher who was in the finish area already know-

ing he was overall champion.Ligety then needed his good friend Neureuther

to finish second or third in the narrow time gapbetween himself and Hirscher.

Neureuther did it in the tightest way possible,finishing 0.01 ahead of Hirscher, who was relegat-ed to fourth. With 10 fewer points awarded forfourth than third, he fell into a tie with Ligety on560 over the eight-race season.

Ligety got the tiebreaker with five World Cuprace wins against Hirscher’s two. “Felix, I owe a lotof beers,” Ligety said. Hirscher was smiling later,after watching Ligety and Neureuther roll aroundthe finish-area snow in celebration.

“He is not allowed to travel to Austria. It is over.Just kidding,” Hirscher said of Neureuther’s inter-vention. They will renew their rivalry Sunday forthe season-long slalom title.

“He is very mad about me so it’s going to bevery close,” said Neureuther, who leads Hirscher byfive points in the slalom standings. HenrikKristoffersen of Norway is also in contention.

Svindal faded again, extending his disappoint-ing series of results since leaving the SochiOlympics early, affected by allergies and without amedal. He is not competing in Sunday’s slalom.

“It was a good season but it could have beenfantastic,” said Svindal, who won the World Cuptitles in downhill and super-G though all but con-ceded the overall title to Hirscher earlier in theweek.

“That was too bad, because I had a really goodopportunity to win the biggest thing a ski racercan win,” said Svindal, a two-time former overallchampion.

Ligety completed a race double for the U.S.team Saturday, with Mikaela Shiffrin earlier win-ning her fifth World Cup slalom this season.

The American anthem played four times inquick succession for a crowd of 10,500 at the Swissvenue - twice each for Ligety and Shiffrin’s raceand season title victories. The Austrian anthem willdominate today, when Hirscher and Fenninger gettheir giant crystal globes. — AP

NEW DELHI: International T20 cricket,struggling to gain a firm footing despitethe growing popularity of domesticleagues, will break new ground whenthe fifth World Twenty20 opens inBangladesh today. Tests and one-dayerstake precedence over T20 internationalseven as successful competitions like theIndian Premier League (IPL) andAustralia’s Big Bash mushroom aroundthe world.

India, cricket’s financial superpower,whose victory in the inaugural WorldT20 in 2007 sparked the IPL revolution,has played just one international in theshortest version over the last 15 months.

World cricket chiefs, hoping tospread the game to newer pasturesthrough Twenty20, have expanded theupcoming tournament to 16 teams from12 two years ago and introduced a newformat.

Six qualifiers-Ireland, Afghanistan,Nepal, Hong Kong, United Arab Emiratesand the Netherlands-will join Zimbabweand hosts Bangladesh in a preliminaryleague of two groups from March 16 to21.

The two group winners will then con-test the Super-10 round with the topeight Test nations-Australia, Pakistan,South Africa, England, New Zealand,India, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.

True to the unpredictable nature ofthe slam-bang format, the four previouseditions threw up different winners eachtime with India’s success in 2007 emulat-ed by Pakistan (2009), England (2010)and the West Indies (2012) — all awayfrom home.

Chris Gayle, one of the most destruc-tive batsmen in the modern game,warned it will not be easy for his WestIndies side to defend the title despite aseries win over England this week.

“It would be nice if history couldrepeat itself but it’s going to be tough,”the left-handed opener said. “We willtake it one match at a time. The first tar-get is to make the semi-finals.”

Sri Lanka, the top-ranked T20 side,have enhanced their status as one of thefavorites by spending more than sixweeks in Bangladesh since late January,capped by their Asia Cup victory lastweekend.

But sandwiched between a hecticinternational schedule, the absence of anumber of leading players and a lack-adaisical build-up by teams, the tourna-ment will lose some sheen.

Australia, South Africa, England andthe West Indies will arrive in Dhaka bare-ly a week before the Super-10 roundstarts, leaving them little time to accli-matise.

ABSENT STARSThe tournament will be notable for

its absences such as Australian Test skip-per Michael Clarke and his English coun-terpart Alastair Cook.

England’s star batsman KevinPietersen will also be missing after hiscontroversial sacking last month, alongwith New Zealand’s big-hitting JesseRyder who was dropped for late-nightdrinking.

South Africa meanwhile will beentering a new era after the recentretirements of Graeme Smith andJacques Kallis. India can at least wel-come back skipper Mahendra SinghDhoni after he missed the Asia Cupthrough injury.

Australia, seeking to win their maid-en World T20 title, have debunked thetheory that T20 is a young man’s gameby including middle-order batsmanBrad Hodge, 39, and 43-year-old spinnerBrad Hogg in their squad.

The tournament, which runs untilApril 6, will be played under heavy secu-rity after election violence at the turn ofthe year raised fears that Bangladesh’sbiggest sporting event could be movedelsewhere.

Bangladesh, which co-hosted the2011 50-over World Cup with India andSri Lanka, will stage matches in the capi-tal Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet.

But plans to host games in the holi-day resort of Cox’s Bazaar were ruled outafter building work on a new stadiumfell behind schedule.

Organisers will be praying thatBangladesh defeat the dangerousAfghanistan in today ’s tournamentopener in Dhaka because an early exitfor the hosts could seriously affect inter-est in the tournament.

Afghanistan, who will play their thirdWorld T20 and have also qualified for amaiden appearance in the 50-overWorld Cup next year, stunned the hostsin the recent Asia Cup.

No wonder Bangladesh’s premier all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan urged fans totone down expectations from the hometeam. “Everyone must take results sport-ingly,” he said. “Too much expectationputs undue pressure on us.” — AFP

Hirscher wins overall WCup title

SWITZERLAND: Austria’s Marcel Hirscher competes during the FIS Men’s alpine skiing World Cup Giant Slalom yesterday in Lenzerheide. — AFP

Revamped World T-20

searches for identity

S P ORTSSUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

Photo of the day

A competitor performs during Red Bull Be-One at Phoenix Park in Pyeong Chang, South Korea on March 1, 2014. — www.redbullcontentpool.com

SALT LAKE CITY: Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul (3) drives around Utah Jazz’s Trey Burke (left) in the first quarterduring an NBA basketball game. — AP

BRISTOL: Their feud started with some Twitter posts aboutthe closing laps of the Daytona 500 and it heightened threeweeks later at Bristol Motor Speedway, where an on-track spinnearly led to post-race fisticuffs. Things took a turn for theworse between Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano a week laterat Fontana when the two drivers refused to give an inch whileattempting to win. It led to a crash, a broken vertebra forHamlin and a destroyed relationship between the formerteammates.

As they return this weekend to Bristol a year later, Hamlinhas finally put his malevolent feelings toward Logano aside.

“We’re OK,” Hamlin said. “We don’t talk or anything like thatmore than we should and really no less than we should, Iwould say. You can hold grudges all you want, but it’s notgoing to make you any faster and it’s not going to get you anycloser to a championship.

“I’m bitter in ways, and in other ways it’s been so long agoand there’s so many trials and tribulations between then andnow, that I think I’m a better person now and I think I’m a bet-ter driver now.”

Said Logano: “I feel like we’re fine. A year is a long time. It’sover now. I feel like we’ve moved on.” Hamlin missed almostfive full races with his back injury and struggled through con-stant pain upon his return in May. He refused to end his sea-son early, even when it became apparent he’d miss the Chasefor the Sprint Cup championship for the first time in his career.

But in finishing out the year, Hamlin earned his only victoryof the season in the finale at Homestead. He carried thatmomentum through the offseason and was strong duringSpeedweeks, where he won two races and finished second inthe Daytona 500.

The performance tailed off at Phoenix and Las Vegas,

where Joe Gibbs Racing as a whole seemed to be off, butHamlin bounced back this weekend at Bristol. He set a trackrecord in qualifying and will start from the pole in today’s race.

Logano, who qualified fourth, will start in the row behindHamlin and understands people want to rehash the relation-ship. “Obviously, people were talking about it this weekbecause it’s the one-year anniversary of the whole fiasco,”Logano said. “But you move on and forget about things. You’resupposed to forgive and forget and that goes both ways, sowe both knew what we had to do and I feel like we’ve movedon and we’re going from there.”

Hamlin doesn’t expect any problems like last year, whenhe spun Logano while Logano was racing for the lead. It ledto a post-race confrontation that involved the crews forboth teams.

“As far as my relationship with him, I treat him with respect

on the race track, as I should,” said Hamlin, who chooses tolimit his conversations with Logano because “what do yousay? How can you express how upset you are with someonewithout punching them?”

The two have had no choice but to coexist because asCoca-Cola sponsored drivers, they’ve had to work with eachother at various events and long commercial shoots. Loganosaid they spent three hours inside a van together at a recentshoot. “I felt like by the end of it, we all got along well,” he said.“That’s the good thing about it - Coca-Cola brings us all backtogether and puts a smile on everybody’s face.” Hamlin saidhe’s been cordial. “I don’t really force it too much. I mean,there’s awkward moments,” he said. “You’re face-to-face withsomeone and you’re having to talk during a commercial. Youhave those moments where you just as soon look away - andyou do.”—AP

SALT LAKE CITY: Blake Griffin had 20 points and Chris Paulshook off a sprained ankle to score 18 points to rally the LosAngeles Clippers past the Utah Jazz 96-87 on Friday, extendingtheir winning streak to 10 straight games.

Los Angeles had its lowest points total during the streak, butthe Clippers won this time with defense, forcing 20 turnovers bythe Jazz that led to 31 points.

The Jazz led 70-60 in the third-quarter, but the Clippers capi-talized on a rash of Utah miscues and poor shot selection to goon a 20-2 run. Paul landed awkwardly after a layup, spraining hisleft ankle. The point guard limped up and down the court, butstill led the Clippers’ come-from-behind-third quarter burst. Hehad seven points and three assists in the six-minute run thatended with Will Green’s 3-pointer with 10:37 to play that made it80-72.

PACERS 101, 76ERS 94Paul George scored 25 points and David West had 18 to help

Indiana beat Philadelphia, sending the 76ers to their 19thstraight loss. With a loss to Memphis on Saturday, the Sixers cantie the franchise record for consecutive defeats in a single sea-son. The Sixers lost 20 straight games in 1973 in a 9-73 season.The NBA record for consecutive losses in a season is 26 set bythe 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Sixers last won on Jan. 29 on Evan Turner’s buzzer-beaterat Boston. Turner was traded to the Pacers at the Feb. 20 dead-line and is now a key reserve on a team expected to make adeep run in the NBA playoffs. Thaddeus Young led the Sixerswith 25 points and 10 assists.

NUGGETS 111, HEAT 107Kenneth Faried scored 24 points and Darrell Arthur led a big

effort from Denver’s bench with 18 as Denver handed suddenlyreeling Miami its fifth loss in six games. Evan Fournier scored 14,Ty Lawson had 13 and JJ Hickson added 11 for the Nuggets.Denver’s reserves scored 57 points.

Ray Allen scored 22 points for Miami, which fell three gamesbehind Indiana in the race for the No. 1 Eastern Conference seedin the playoffs. LeBron James scored 21 points and DwyaneWade added 19 for the Heat, who turned the ball over 20 timesand shot 7 for 24 from 3-point range. It was only the fifth win forDenver in its last 18 games.

SPURS 119, LAKERS 85Danny Green had 15 points as San Antonio won its ninth

straight and handed the Lakers their largest defeat in their long-time rivalry. San Antonio never trailed after the opening fourminutes, allowing coach Gregg Popovich to limit his starters andManu Ginobili to an average of 17 minutes.

The Spurs had five reserves score in double-figures, led byMatt Bonner’s 13 points and 10 rebounds. San Antonio (49-16)maintained the league’s best record ahead of Indiana andOklahoma City, who are both 48-17. Pau Gasol had 18 pointsand 11 rebounds for Los Angeles, which has lost five of six.

WIZARDS 105, MAGIC 101John Wall had 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and

overtime and Trevor Ariza added 21 points and 11 rebounds asWashington beat Orlando in overtime. The victory ends theWizards’ seven-game road losing streak to the Magic. BradleyBeal added 20 points before being helped off the court with aninjury in overtime. Marcin Gortat finished with 19 points and 14rebounds. Tobias Harris had 21 points and Arron Afflalo finishedwith 18 to lead the Magic. Orlando has now lost five in a row and11 of their last 14.

RAPTORS 99, GRIZZLIES 86Jonas Valanciunas scored a season-high 23 points and Kyle

Lowry had 22 points and 12 assists as Toronto won for the 11thtime in 14 games. Greivis Vasquez scored 17 points, DeMarDeRozan had 16 and Amir Johnson 12 as the Atlantic Division-leading Raptors ended a four-game home losing streak againstthe Grizzlies and improved to 16-0 at home this season whenleading after three quarters.

Ten of DeRozan’s points came in the fourth quarter, helpingToronto win back-to-back games against the Grizzlies after los-ing eight of the previous nine meetings. Zach Randolph scored16 points as Memphis saw its four-game winning streak broken.

BOBCATS 105, TIMBERWOLVES 93Al Jefferson had 25 points and 16 rebounds as Charlotte

defeated Minnesota for its eighth straight victory at home.Jefferson set a single-season team record with his 20th 20-point,10-rebound game of the season. The Bobcats, currently the sev-enth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff standings, came inaveraging 103.9 points and shooting 47 percent in their last sev-en homes games. They shot 48 percent against theTimberwolves. Kevin Martin had 19 points to lead Minnesota.

SUNS 87, CELTICS 80Goran Dragic scored 20 points as Phoenix scored the last sev-

en points of the game to beat cold-shooting Boston.After Jeff Green’s two free throws for Boston made it 80-80

with 2:02 left, Alex Len started the decisive spurt with a three-point play on a tip-in and a free throw. The Suns finished thescoring with a dunk by Markieff Morris and a layup by Dragic.

Eric Bledsoe had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Morrisadded 15 points for Phoenix, which ended a three-game losingstreak and moved one game behind Memphis for the eighthand final Western Conference playoff spot. Kris Humphries had11 points and 13 rebounds for the Celtics, who lost for the 10thtime in 13 games.

TRAIL BLAZERS 111, PELICANS 103Damian Lillard scored 27 points and Nicolas Batum added 22

as Portland ended a four-game skid while playing without All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge. Wesley Matthews had 20 points for theTrail Blazers, who kept Aldridge out of the game due to a backcontusion. Anthony Davis scored a career-high 36 points andBrian Roberts added 19 for New Orleans.

Trailing by five with less than six minutes to go, Lillard wenton a personal 7-0 run to give Portland the lead for good at 96-94.

CAVALIERS 103, WARRIORS 94Spencer Hawes had 22 points and 13 rebounds to help

Cleveland erase an 18-point first-half deficit on the way to a vic-tory over Golden State. Dion Waiters added 18 points and LuolDeng and Kyrie Irving had 16 apiece for the Cavaliers, who end-ed a six-game losing streak against the Warriors. Stephen Curryscored 27 points and Draymond Green added 18 for theWarriors, who were without starting guard Klay Thompson, whowas in the Bahamas for his grandfather’s funeral. — AP

Charlotte 105, Minnesota 93; Washington 105, Orlando101 (OT); Indiana 101, Philadelphia 94; Toronto 99,Memphis 86; Phoenix 87, Boston 80; Denver 111, Miami107; Portland 111, New Orleans 103; San Antonio 119, LALakers 85; LA Clippers 96, Utah 87; Cleveland 103, GoldenState 94.

Eastern ConferenceAtlantic Division

W L PCT GB Toronto 37 27 .578 - Brooklyn 33 30 .524 3.5 NY Knicks 26 40 .394 12 Boston 22 44 .333 16 Philadelphia 15 50 .231 22.5

Central DivisionIndiana 48 17 .738 - Chicago 36 29 .554 12 Cleveland 26 40 .394 22.5 Detroit 25 40 .385 23 Milwaukee 13 52 .200 35

Southeast DivisionMiami 44 19 .698 - Washington 34 31 .523 11 Charlotte 32 34 .485 13.5 Atlanta 28 35 .444 16 Orlando 19 48 .284 27

Western ConferenceNorthwest Division

Oklahoma City 48 17 .738 - Portland 43 23 .652 5.5 Minnesota 32 32 .500 15.5 Denver 29 36 .446 19 Utah 22 44 .333 26.5

Pacific DivisionLA Clippers 47 20 .701 - Golden State 41 26 .612 6 Phoenix 37 28 .569 9 Sacramento 23 42 .354 23 LA Lakers 22 44 .333 24.5

Southwest DivisionSan Antonio 49 16 .754 - Houston 44 21 .677 5 Dallas 39 27 .591 10.5 Memphis 38 27 .585 11 New Orleans 26 39 .400 23

NBA results/standingsROME: Owen Farrell accounted for 22points and Mike Brown added two tries asEngland stated its case for the Six Nationstitle with a convincing 52-11 win over Italyyesterday at the Stadio Olimpico.

“We scored some great tries and we’vecome here and scored 50, and not manyteams have done that,” England coachStuart Lancaster said. “There were someerrors in the first half, but I’m just proud ofthe boys. It’s a great squad we’ve gotdeveloping and the bigger picture isimportant.” The title will be decided afterIreland’s match at France later, withEngland cheering for the French, whohave little chance needing a massive win.Ireland can claim the title if it wins by anymargin. “It’s uncontrollable for us,”Lancaster said. “Obviously it would be niceto win it. But if Ireland go to France andwin, well, then they deserve it.”

Farrell’s points came courtesy of onetry, one penalty and seven conversions.Leonardo Sarto scored Italy’s only try latein the second half after Luciano Orqueraconverted two penalties early on. Havinglost all five of its matches in this year’s tour-nament, Italy took the wooden spoon. “Westarted this tournament well and we fin-ished negatively,” Italy coach JacquesBrunel said, referring to a narrow openingloss at Wales. “We’re behind in terms ofwhat our goals were.”On a perfect spring-like day in the Italian capital, there werelarge sections of white-clad England sup-porters inside the soldout stadium. But itwas Italy who scored first, with a penaltyfrom Orquera six minutes in after Englandwas penalized for standing up in thescrum.

Four minutes later, Farrell was on tar-get with the sun in his eyes for a penaltyand then Brown darted down the leftflank for his first try. Italy went close to theEnglish try line following a poor pass fromNo. 13 Luther Burrell and then Orquerakicked in another penalty from the rightflank cutting England’s lead to 10-6. Afterthat, it was nearly all England. Farrell tookadvantage of a sparsely spread Italian lineto go in for a try and then Brown scoredanother try on a long, un-opposed run tomake it 24-6 at halftime. After a briefrespite at the start of the second half, JackNowell scored his first try for England inthe 53rd and Mako Vunipola toucheddown less than 10 minutes later, as Italystruggled to put together any resistancewhatsoever. —AP

Clippers silence Jazz

England rout Italy 52-11,

chase 6 Nations title

WELLINGTON: Flyhalf Beauden Barrettscored two tries and kicked 13 points as theWellington Hurricanes got their first win ofthe Super Rugby season with a 60-27 ham-mering of South Africa’s Cheetahs yester-day.

Barrett was irresistible as the Hurricanesran rampant, securing the bonus pointbefore halftime and crossing for a total ofnine tries to snap an eight-match losingstreak going back to last season.

All Blacks centre Conrad Smith scoredthe penultimate try of the match to cele-brate his 100th Super Rugby appearance infront of a disappointing crowd of just over8,000 at the Wellington Stadium.

Cheetahs ful lback Wil l ie Le Rouxscored the first of his team’s three trieswith a typical turn of searing pace butwas harshly sin-binned just after thebreak when he knocked on an attemptedan interception. — Reuters

WELLINGTON: Central Cheetahs Elgar Watts is tackled by theWellington Hurricanes captain Conrad Smith during their Super 15rugby union match at Westpac Stadium. — AFP

Hurricanes snap losing streak

Hamlin learns to co-exist with Logano a year later

ROME: Italy’s Matias Aguero (right) clears the ball next to England’s SergioParisse (center) during the Six Nations International rugby union match. — AFP

JOHANNESBURG: Marnitz Boshoff con-tinued a fairy tale first Super 15 seasonwith 24 points for Golden Lions in a 39-36 victory over Auckland Blues yester-day. The fly-half kicked four penalties,three conversions and two drop goals atsunny Ellis Park in Johannesburg to raisehis five-match tally to 94 points.

And his major contribution to a thirdwin in five outings for perennial strug-glers the Lions came after he fluffed anearly, angled 25-metre penalty attempt.It was his sole miss of the match , andonly the second in 29 attempts since theseason kicked off.

A roller-coaster game in which theSouth Africans dominated the first-halfscrums saw the home side build bigleads only to be constantly pegged backby the strong-running New Zealanders.

A 23-3 home lead on 52 minutes wastrimmed to eight points soon after, andthe Blues got within four points nineminutes from time.

But two Boshoff penalties widenedthe gap before full-back Benji Marshall

dotted down and a simple conversionby replacement fly-half Chris Hickey leftjust three points between the sides.

The Blues did have a chance tosnatch victory when they gained pos-session from the kick-off after Marshallscored in the final minute.

However, after making some ground,the Aucklanders were forced to retreatand the final whistle sounded when aNew Zealander was forced into touch.

Tries from scrum-half Faf de Klerk,left-wing Courtnall Skosan and full-backCoenie van Wyk completed the Lions’total in the southern hemisphere inter-provincial championship match.

Blues, who trailed 17-0 at half-timeand had prop Charlie Faumuina (collaps-ing a maul) and lock Tom Donnelly (dan-gerous clean-out) sin binned, did havethe consolation of two bonus points.

They were always dangerous withball in hand and replacement scrum-halfBryn Hall proved a hard-to-containlivewire when he came on for veteranPiri Weepu.—AFP

Boshoff boot gives

Auckland the blues

LONDON: Arsene Wenger has chal-lenged Arsenal to revive their PremierLeague title challenge by adding to thetroubles of their bitter rivals Tottenhamin a vital north London derby today.

Wenger is convinced his team canstill overhaul their title rivals and theGunners manager believes the shorttrip down the Seven Sisters Road toface beleaguered Tottenham is the ide-al place to start.

After leading the top-flight table fora long period, Arsenal have surren-dered the initiative with just one win intheir last four league matches.

Yet Arsenal’s wobble pales in com-parison to the problems across northLondon, where Tottenham managerTim Sherwood is engaged in a battle tosave his job three months after takingover from Andre Villas-Boas.

Sherwood’s surprise appointmentlooked like a masterstroke by chairmanDaniel Levy when Spurs won five oftheir first six matches under the formerBlackburn midfielder.

But Sherwood has seemed increas-ingly uncomfortable in recent weeks asTottenham’s form has dipped, culmi-nating in his stinging criticism of hisplayers’ lack of character following lastweekend’s 4-0 thrashing at Chelsea.

With repor ts claiming Levy isalready sounding out potentialreplacements, Sherwood desperatelyneeded to restore morale in Thursday’sEuropa League tie against Benfica.

Instead, his players hardly lookedlike they had taken their manager’swords to heart as they slumped to alacklustre 3-1 defeat which was mostmemorable for Sherwood adding tothe impression of a man feeling theheat as he became embroiled in atouchline spat with Benfica coachJorge Jesus.

In the circumstances, Wenger knowsSherwood can ill-afford to lose Sunday’sderby showdown and he hopes thepressure on Spurs will aid his team’s bidto get back on track after their mid-week exit from the Champions Leagueagainst Bayern Munich.

“It has always been difficult at WhiteHart Lane, but we are in a positionwhere of course we want to win thegame, because after losing at Stoke, itis very important,” Wenger said.

“ We had a good result againstEverton in the FA Cup, we had a goodresult even at Bayern, but we must con-tinue and have no more weakmoments before the end of the sea-son.”

The Gunners have already beatenSpurs twice this season, but Wenger’steam are unlikely to be overconfidentafter losing their previous two visits toWhite Hart Lane.

Their cause isn’t helped by theabsence of Germany midfielder MesutOzil, who will be sidelined for severalweeks with a grade two hamstring tearsuffered against Bayern.

Even so, Wenger is confident theloss of Ozil won’t prevent Arsenal get-ting their t it le challenge back oncourse. “It is a blow of course, but I amconfident we have the quality to dealwithout him during that period,” hesaid.

“We have many creative players inour squad who can take over and pro-duce quality performances. “I am con-vinced that the team is ready, evenwithout Ozil, to go for the challenge.”

Fifth placed Tottenham still havemore than just north London pride toplay for as they try to close the gap onfourth placed Manchester City in therace to qualify for the ChampionsLeague.

Danish midfielder Christian Eriksenis adamant his team-mates shouldn’tlet Sherwood take the blame for theclub’s current woes and he made itclear they need to raise their game thisweekend.

“I have only been here for a fewmonths but I still know how a derby is,”Eriksen said. “Now it is at home and Iam looking forward to it. I think a posi-tive result will give everything andeverybody a big boost. “Hopefully wewill be way better today than what wewere against Benfica.” — AFP

S P ORTSSUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

BERLIN: Borussia Dortmund stay second in theBundesliga despite slumping to a 2-1 defeat athome to ten-man Borussia Moenchengladbachyesterday.

The result means runaway leaders BayernMunich hosting fourth-placed Bayer Leverkusenat the Allianz Arena later, the European champi-ons can extend their lead to 23 points with a16th-straight league win. Leverkusen are the lastGerman team to win against Bayern-who areunbeaten in all of their 49 matches since-datingback to October 28, 2012.

Behind the scenes, Bayern have enduredarguably the most turbulent week in the club’shistory after Uli Hoeness was convicted of majortax fraud on Thursday and resigned as club pres-ident 24 hours later.

If Bayern go 23 points clear, they could beconfirmed Bundesliga champions next Saturday,if they pick up another three points and theirrivals lose, to go 26 points clear with eightgames left to play.

Gladbach earned their first win in ten gamesto dent Dortmund’s confidence ahead ofWednesday’s Champions League last 16 clash athome to Zenit St Petersburg when they hold a 4-2 lead from the first leg.

“That is a bitter result for us, so the disap-pointment is huge,” said Dortmund captainSebastian Kehl. Dortmund are now just onepoint clear of third-placed rivals Schalke aheadof the Ruhr Valley derby on March 25. “We couldhave a cushion behind us, now things are tight,”admitted Dortmund midfielder Nuri Sahin.

Swiss coach Lucien Favre extended hisGladbach contract last week until 2017 and hisside produced a devastating nine-minute first-half spell at Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion.“Don’t worry, you’ll still finish second in theleague,” Favre told Klopp after the final whistle.

Gladbach took the lead when a scuffed shotfrom Brazilian striker Raffael wrong-footedDortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller on31 minutes after Patrick Herrmann got the bet-ter of Borussia defender Mats Hummels to fire ina cross.

The hosts doubled their lead five minutesbefore the break when Herrmann found JuanArango and the Venezuelan put in a great finalpass for Germany squad striker Max Kruse to firehome five minutes before the break.

Gladbach midfielder Havard Nordtveit wassent off for a second yellow card for the final 20minutes and new-signing Milos Jojic pulled one

back for Dortmund on 77 minutes.

STUNNING FIGHT-BACKMainz moved up to fifth with a sensational 4-

2 victory at Hoffenheim with Japan’s ShinjiOkazaki netting their last two goals as theguests scored three times in seven stunning sec-ond-half minutes to come from 2-0 down.

The win keeps Thomas Tuchel’s Mainz in thehunt for a European spot next season and areonly three points short of a Champions Leagueberth.

Relegation-threatened VfB Stuttgart, withnew coach Huub Stevens in charge, are winlessin their last 10 matches as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Werder Bremen.

Stuttgart’s Martin Harnik hammered a first-half penalty attempt off the post just before thebreak against his old club, but defender GeorgNiedermeier gave the guests a 55th-minutelead.

Bremen’s Germany midfielder Aaron Huntfired home a direct free-kick on 79 minutes toshare a point. Wolfsburg drop to sixth after their1-1 draw at bottom side Eintracht Braunschweigas only three points separate the bottom fourclubs including Freiburg, Hamburg andStuttgart.

Hertha’s European aspirations suffered a dentas they lost 2-0 at home to Hanover 96 to stayninth and four points off the top six.

On Friday, Schalke 04 moved up to third-anautomatic Champions League spot-with a 2-1win at Augsburg as Dutch striker Klaas-JanHuntelaar scored twice.

Having scored a hat-trick in last Saturday’s 4-0 rout of Hoffenheim, Huntelaar took his tally tosix goals in his last four games.

The victory is a welcome boost for the RoyalBlues ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Real Madridwhere they face the near-impossible task ofover-turning their 6-1 home leg defeat. — AFP

Dortmund shocked at home

MELBOURNE: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain controls his car on turn twoduring the qualifying session at Albert Park ahead of the Australian Formula OneGrand Prix. — AP

GERMANY: Moenchengladbach’s Thorben Marx (left) and Dortmund’s Robert Lewandowski ofPoland challenge for the ball during the German First Division Bundesliga soccer match. — AP

Liverpool, United

in crunch clash

LONDON: Liverpool hold the whip hand overManchester United for the first time in decades and couldland a devastating blow on their rivals’ top-four challengeat Old Trafford today. Having endured year upon year ofUnited supremacy, Liverpool have turned the tables thisseason and approach this weekend’s match 11 pointsabove their floundering foes in the Premier League table.

While Liverpool still have eyes on the title, United’s bidfor Champions League qualification is in dire straits asthey trail fourth-place Manchester City by nine points,having played two games more. David Moyes’s side havealready lost at home four times in the league this seasonand they can expect no sympathy from a Liverpool teamwhose fans have endured season after season of tormentat United’s hands.

Not since September 2004 have Liverpool gone into aleague game at Old Trafford above United in the tableand it was 23 years ago-in February 1991 that that waslast the case for a fixture played after Christmas. Onlyonce, in 2002, have Liverpool finished above United inthe post-1992 Premier League era, but current managerBrendan Rodgers has warned against paying too muchattention to the relative fortunes of the two teams. WhileRodgers has been eager to play down Liverpool’s titlechances, he says that silverware, rather than successagainst United, will be the only reliable barometer of histeam’s progress.

“The benchmark for us is the best,” he said. “First of all,we are always challenging the team at the top; notManchester United, who are further down.

“Liverpool has its own great history both domesticallyand in European football, so for us the benchmark hasalways been the best and we will always look to do that.“I never said when I came in here we wanted to be fourth.Top four is where we want to be, but Liverpool will alwaysbe judged on being the best, both here and in Europe,not against Manchester United.”

VAN PERSIE’S FUTUREDevoid of distractions in the cup competitions,

Liverpool have found fine form in recent weeks, winningseven and drawing two of their last nine league games.

Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, the division’s twoleading scorers, have now amassed 42 goals betweenthem, which is only four fewer than United’s entire squad.

United enjoyed breezy wins over Crystal Palace andWest Bromwich Albion in their last two league outings,but disaster has never been far away for Moyes this sea-son and on Wednesday his side must attempt to overturna 2-0 deficit against Olympiakos in the last 16 of theChampions League. While the United manager concedesthat Liverpool’s league position “possibly” makes themfavorites, he is hoping that the defending champions willbe inspired by the magnitude of the occasion. “It hasbeen a great rivalry between the two clubs,” he said in hispre-game press conference. “Liverpool are having a verygood season and we have to do everything we possiblycan to beat them.” Moyes was buoyed on Friday by thenews that last season’s top scorer, Robin van Persie, hadrubbished speculation about his future at the club bydeclaring that he is happy at Old Trafford.

Moyes can also now call upon winger Nani, who hasrecovered from a long-term hamstring problem, whilecentre-back Jonny Evans (calf ) and striker JavierHernandez (knee) could also be in contention to play.Liverpool, who last tasted victory at United in March2009, have been given a boost by the returns to fitness ofmidfielder Lucas Leiva (knee) and centre-back MamadouSakho (hamstring). United won 1-0 when the teams lastmet, in the League Cup third round in September, andMoyes may take heart from the knowledge thatLiverpool have lost by a one-goal margin-on their last sixvisits to Old Trafford. — AFP

MELBOURNE: Lewis Hamilton captured poleposition for Mercedes for the season-openingAustralian Grand Prix in a thrilling finish to arain-hit qualifying session yesterday, whileFormula One champion Sebastian Vettel failedto make the top 10.

Hamilton saved the best for last with hisfinal lap of a gloomy session after AustralianDaniel Ricciardo had stormed to the top of thetimesheets only seconds earlier on his first raceweekend for champions Red Bull.

The 29-year-old Briton’s time of one minute44.231 seconds on a greasy Albert Park trackwas just over three-tenths of a second fasterthan Ricciardo, who upstaged team mate Vettelto the delight of the home fans.

Quadruple champion Vettel, winner of thelast nine races of 2013, was only 13th fastestand was frustrated by a crash late in the finalsession by Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen whichbrought out the yellow flags and forced driversto ease their pace.

“Today made it so much harder with theconditions, but I’m really happy with the jobthe team did,” said Hamilton, whose 32nd sec-ond pole equalled Nigel Mansell’s Britishrecord. “These cars are much harder driving inthe wet.”

Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg will start third onthe grid alongside McLaren’s 21-year-oldDanish rookie Kevin Magnussen, who under-lined his talent with a poised drive in tryingconditions.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso qualified fifth withJean-Eric Vergne sixth fastest for Toro Rosso. Itwas the first time Vettel had failed to make thefinal round of qualifying since he started 11thon the grid in Belgium in 2012, before battlingthrough the field to finish the race second.

Vettel will move up to 12th, however, withWilliams’ Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas due todrop from 10th place after taking a five-placepenalty for a gearbox change.

“Obviously tricky conditions, for some rea-son we had more problems today than we hadyesterday,” said the 26-year-old German, whoappeared to struggle with handling and sur-vived a brush with a wall in the first qualifyingsession. “The speed is there so we will see whatwe can do tomorrow. It’s a long race, anythingcan happen.”

LOTUS NIGHTMAREWith Red Bull still playing catch-up to

Mercedes after an abysmal winter testingplagued by reliability problems with theirRenault power unit, Vettel looks set to be beat-

en for the first time since Hamilton won inHungary last July.

Ricciardo, who has shouldered Australia’shopes since the retirement of his Red Bull pred-ecessor Mark Webber at the end of last season,had few illusions about the gap between theteams.

“I think if it was a dry qualifying we wereexpecting Lewis and Nico to be on the frontrow,” the 24-year-old said. “Hopefully theupward trend continues and we can start tohassle these guys in dry conditions soon.”

With teams already struggling to master thenew turbocharged hybrid engines, fuel con-sumption will add an additional layer of com-plexity for drivers in Sunday’s race, with a newrule limiting cars to 100 kilograms of petrol.

Vettel will be in esteemed company in themiddle of the grid, with two other champions -McLaren’s Jenson Button and Raikkonen - alsofailing to get into the final group of 10.

Briton Button qualified 11th but will start10th, while Raikkonen, the 2007 world champi-on, was 12th fastest on his first Saturday sincereturning to Maranello.

The Finn, winner in Melbourne with Lotuslast year, crashed into the wall at turn 14.Russian rookie Daniil Kvyat also enjoyed a posi-tive qualifying debut, despite hitting the wall atthe end of the final session, to line up eighth forToro Rosso with Force India’s Nico Hulkenbergseventh.

Brazilian Felipe Massa will start ninth on thegrid in his first race since crossing to Williamsfrom Ferrari. Japan’s Kamui Kobayashi, makinghis comeback after being dropped by Sauber atthe end of 2012, gave lowly Caterham a boostby qualifying 15th - which will become 14thafter Bottas drops down.

Lotus’s horror week continued as bothFrenchman Romain Grosjean and VenezuelanPastor Maldonado were among the sixknocked out of the first session.

Grosjean locked up and spun off after post-ing the slowest lap time in the opening session,while Maldonado was unable even to troublethe timesheets due to a problem with the pow-er unit and will rely on the stewards’ discretionfor a Sunday start.

“We had a lot of problems today and everytime we fixed one another one comes along,”said Grosjean. “It’s frustrating, but I’m the onewho has the easiest life as I’m not working allnight on the car.” Sauber’s Mexican driverEsteban Gutierrez, who qualified 19th, also col-lected a five-place grid penalty for the race forhaving a new gearbox. — Reuters

Arsene Wenger

PreviewPreview

Wenger aims to pile on

misery for troubled Spurs

Hamilton takes pole,

Vettel out of top 10

BIOT: Dutch rider Tom-Jelte Slagter of theGarmin team won the seventh stage of theParis-Nice cycling race yesterday asColombian Carlos Betancur closed in on thetitle. Slagter won an uphill sprint finish aheadof world champion Rui Costa of Portugal fol-lowed by yellow jersey holder Betancur, withthe ‘Race to the Sun’ due to conclude in Nicetoday.

Britain’s Geraint Thomas, second overall atthe start from Mougins, lost ground after a fall5km from the finish line after the 195.5kmstage at Biot. Slagter also won Wednesday’sstage at Belleville, but his title hopes took aknock on Friday when his gears broke after

colliding with another rider 3km from the line.“It was very frustrating because the title

was finished for me,” said the 24-year-old. “Itwas tough to get back on the saddle todaybut when we arrived I saw that it was a finishwhich was perfect for. I’m delighted to havewon again. “It’s the best possible start to theseason for me.”

AG2R La Mondiale rider Betancur leadsCosta by 14sec before the tough final stageover 128km which includes five climbs inProvence before arriving in Nice. “It wasanother difficult day for us,” said Betancur. “Iknow that I’m close to victory but it’s still adream.” — AFP

Slagter wins Paris-Nice stage

FRANCE: Tom Jelte Slagter of Netherlands wins the seventh leg of the Paris-Nicecycling race, between Mougins and Biot Sophia Antipolis, southeastern France. — AP

SAO PAULO: Former Brazil star Rivaldo, thewinner of the Ballon d’Or in 1999,announced his retirement from footballyesterday at the age of 41.

“With tears in my eyes, I would like firstto thank God, my family and all the sup-port, the affection that I received duringthose 24 years as a player. Today I commu-nicate to all my fans in the world, my histo-ry as a player came to the end,” said the for-

mer Barcelona playmaker in a messageposted on Instagram.The veteran hadreturned to action with Sao Paulo outfitMogi Mirim in January having previouslystopped playing for Sao Caetano inNovember due to problems with his knee.

A World Cup winner with Brazil in 2002,he also played in Italy with AC Milan, inGreece, in Uzbekistan and in Angola duringa long and distinguished career. — AFP

Brazil great Rivaldo

announces retirement

S P ORTSSUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

Soccer results/standingsEnglish Premier League

Everton 2 (Deulofeu 59, Coleman 90)Cardiff 1 (Cala 68); Fulham 1 (Dejagah 68)Newcastle 0; Hull 0 Manchester City 2 (Silva14, Dzeko 90); Southampton 4 (Schneiderlin5, Lambert 57, Rodriguez 72, Gallagher 90)Norwich 2 (Elmander 85, Snodgrass 86);Stoke 3 (Odemwingie 33, 79, Arnautovic 69)West Ham 1 (Carroll 5); Sunderland 0 CrystalPalace 0; Swansea 1 (Lamah 2) West Brom 2(Sessegnon 52, Mulumbu 85); Aston Villa 1(Delph 82) Chelsea 0.

Playing todayManchester United v Liverpool,

Tottenham v Arsenal.

English Football League ChampionshipBolton 0 Brighton 2; Bournemouth 0

Middlesbrough 0; Burnley 2 Leeds 1;Huddersfield 2 Blackburn 4; Ipswich 1Wigan 3; Leicester 3 Blackpool 1; Millwall 0Charlton 0; Nottingham Forest 0 Doncaster0; QPR 3 Yeovil 0; Reading 0 Derby 0;Sheffield Wednesday 4 Birmingham 1;Watford 3 Barnsley 0.

Division OneBradford 1 Gillingham 1; Bristol City 0

Swindon 0; Carlisle 0 Stevenage 0; Crawley1 Colchester 0; Crewe 1 Oldham 1; LeytonOrient 0 Brentford 1; Milton Keynes Dons 0Peterborough 2; Rotherham 1 Walsall 1;Tranmere 3 Notts County 2; Wolves 0Shrewsbury 0.

Playing todayCoventry v Port Vale

Playing tomorrowPreston v Sheffield Utd

Division TwoBurton 1 AFC Wimbledon 1; Cheltenham

1 Torquay 0; Chesterfield 3 Oxford 0;Dagenham and Redbridge 1 Morecambe 1;Fleetwood 3 Portsmouth 1; Hartlepool 4Bristol Rovers 0; Northampton 1 Mansfield1; Plymouth 0 Scunthorpe 2; Rochdale 2

Accrington 1; Southend 0 Bury 0; York 2Wycombe 0.

Playing todayNewport v Exeter

Scottish Premiership Dundee Utd 3 (Graham 79, Armstrong

84, Ciftci 90) St Mirren 2 (McGowan 20,Thompson 40); Partick 3 (Erskine 44, Mair60, Higginbotham 90) Hibernian 1(Watmore 62).

Playing laterSt Johnstone v Ross County

Scottish Football League ChampionshipAlloa 0 Queen Of The South 1;

Dumbarton 5 Cowdenbeath 1; Hamilton 3Falkirk 1; Livingston 0 Dundee 2; Raith 2Morton 1.

Division OneArbroath 0 Airdrie 1; East Fife 0 Ayr 5;

Forfar 1 Stranraer 0; Rangers 2 Dunfermline0; Stenhousemuir 4 Brechin 2.

Division TwoClyde 1 Stirling 0; Elgin City 2 Annan

Athletic 3; Montrose 2 East Stirling 0;Peterhead 3 Berwick 0; Queen’s Park 4

Albion 0.

German Bundesliga resultsBorussia Dortmund 1 (Jojic 77) Bor.

Moenchengladbach 2 (Raffael 31, Kruse 40);Werder Bremen 1 (Hunt 79) VfB Stuttgart 1(Niedermeier 55); Hoffenheim 2 Polanski 49,Roberto Firmino 53) Mainz 05 4 (Choupo-Moting 67, Saller 73, Okazaki 75, 90+2);Eintracht Braunschweig 1 (Bellarabi 48) VfLWolfsburg 1 (Luiz Gustavo 36); Hertha Berlin0 Hanover 96 3 (Stindl 49, Schlaudraff 57,Huszti 90+1).

Playing todayHamburg v Nuremberg, Eintracht

Frankfurt v Freiburg.

Chelsea 30 20 6 4 56 23 66Man City 27 19 3 5 71 27 60Liverpool 28 18 5 5 73 35 59Arsenal 28 18 5 5 52 28 59Tottenham 29 16 5 8 37 37 53Everton 28 14 9 5 40 28 51Man Utd 28 14 6 8 46 31 48Southampton 30 12 9 9 43 37 45Newcastle 29 13 4 12 37 40 43Aston Villa 29 9 7 13 32 38 34Stoke 30 8 10 12 32 44 34West Ham 29 8 7 14 32 38 31Hull 29 8 6 15 30 37 30Swansea 29 7 8 14 38 43 29Norwich 30 7 8 15 24 48 29West Brom 29 5 13 11 33 43 28Crystal Palace 29 8 4 17 19 38 28Sunderland 27 6 7 14 26 42 25Cardiff 30 6 7 17 23 52 25Fulham 30 7 3 20 30 65 24

English Football League ChampionshipLeicester 35 25 5 5 68 33 80Burnley 36 20 13 3 59 31 73 Derby 36 18 9 9 60 43 63QPR 35 18 9 8 43 28 63Wigan 34 17 7 10 45 31 58Nottingham 36 14 15 7 55 41 57 Reading 36 15 11 10 56 41 56Brighton 35 15 11 9 39 28 56Ipswich 36 13 12 11 46 42 51Blackburn 35 13 10 12 43 44 49Watford 35 12 12 11 52 41 48Bournemouth 35 12 10 13 44 51 46Middlesbrough 36 10 15 11 44 38 45Leeds 35 12 8 15 48 51 44Huddersfield 36 12 8 16 47 50 44Sheffield 35 10 12 13 43 42 42Bolton 36 9 13 14 46 52 40Blackpool 36 9 11 16 31 52 38Birmingham 36 9 10 17 43 51 37Doncaster 36 9 10 17 32 54 37Millwall 36 7 11 18 32 62 32Charlton 32 6 11 15 24 41 29Yeovil 35 7 8 20 30 52 29Barnsley 35 6 11 18 31 62 29

Division OneWolves 35 23 8 4 64 21 77Brentford 35 23 7 5 59 31 76 Leyton 37 22 8 7 70 34 74Preston 36 18 14 4 52 36 68Rotherham 36 18 12 6 67 44 66Peterborough 36 18 4 14 58 48 58Milton 37 15 7 15 53 50 52Walsall 37 12 13 12 41 40 49Swindon 37 13 9 15 53 51 48Sheffield 34 13 8 13 37 38 47Port Vale 35 14 4 17 46 55 46Bradford 36 10 15 11 48 44 45Gillingham 37 13 6 18 49 60 45Crawley Town 32 10 13 9 36 39 43Bristol City 37 9 15 13 54 59 42Coventry 35 14 9 12 64 63 41Colchester 35 9 12 14 39 45 39Oldham 37 10 9 18 41 54 39Tranmere 36 10 9 17 44 64 39Carlisle 36 10 8 18 38 57 38 Stevenage 36 10 7 19 37 55 37Crewe 37 9 10 18 42 69 37Shrewsbury 36 7 13 16 34 47 34Notts County 37 9 4 24 45 67 31Note: Coventry deducted 10 points for enteringadministration

Division TwoChesterfield 37 18 12 7 60 34 66Scunthorpe 37 16 17 4 58 37 65Rochdale 36 19 7 10 56 39 64 Fleetwood 37 18 7 12 54 42 61Burton Albion 37 16 13 8 41 36 61Oxford Utd 37 14 14 9 48 37 56Southend 37 13 13 11 44 36 52York 37 13 13 11 44 38 52Plymouth 36 14 9 13 40 40 51Hartlepool 37 13 10 14 44 40 49Cheltenham 36 11 14 11 41 46 47Morecambe 36 12 11 13 43 50 47Dagenham 36 11 13 12 44 45 46Newport 34 11 11 12 43 46 44AFC Wimbledon37 11 11 15 36 42 44Mansfield 37 10 13 14 37 50 43Bury 35 9 15 11 40 40 42Bristol Rovers 36 10 12 14 34 40 42Portsmouth 37 9 15 13 38 51 42Wycombe 36 10 11 15 38 44 41Accrington 36 10 11 15 40 47 41Exeter 36 10 10 16 41 48 40Northampton 36 9 11 16 30 45 38Torquay 36 8 9 19 33 54 33

German League Bayern Munich 24 22 2 0 72 11 68Dortmund 25 15 3 7 56 29 48 Schalke 04 25 14 5 6 48 36 47 Leverkusen 24 14 2 8 40 27 44 Mainz 25 12 5 8 37 38 41 Wolfsburg 25 12 4 9 42 39 40 Borussia 25 11 6 8 43 32 39 Augsburg 25 11 5 9 38 36 38Hertha Berlin 25 10 6 9 35 31 36 Hoffenheim 25 7 8 10 54 56 29 Hanover 96 25 8 5 12 34 43 29 Werder Bremen 25 7 8 10 29 47 29 Frankfurt 24 6 8 10 27 40 26 Nuremberg 24 4 11 9 27 42 23 Stuttgart 25 5 6 14 39 52 21 Hamburg 24 5 5 14 39 53 20 Freiburg 24 4 7 13 22 45 19 Braunschweig 25 4 6 15 20 45 18

Scottish Premiership Celtic 29 25 3 1 71 14 78Aberdeen 28 17 3 8 40 26 54Motherwell 28 16 3 9 46 43 51Dundee Utd 29 13 8 8 52 35 47Inverness 27 13 6 8 33 26 45St Johnstone 29 11 5 13 35 32 38 Hibernian 30 8 10 12 29 38 34Kilmarnock 30 8 6 16 37 52 30Partick 29 6 11 12 32 46 29Ross County 29 8 5 16 34 50 29St Mirren 29 7 6 16 29 47 27 Hearts 29 5 6 18 25 54 6

Note: Hearts deducted 15 points for enteringadministration

English Premier League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goalsagainst, points):

English Premier LeagueMan United v Liverpool 16:30beIN SPORTS 1beIN SPORTS 1 HDTottenham v Arsenal 19:00beIN SPORTS 1beIN SPORTS 1 HD

Italian Calcio LeagueAtalanta v Sampdoria 14:30beIN SPORTS 4 HDbeIN SPORTS 12 HDbeIN SPORTS 14 HDLivorno v Bologna 17:00beIN SPORTS 9 HDSassuolo v Catania 17:00beIN SPORTS 8 HDAC Milan v Parma 17:00beIN SPORTS 3beIN SPORTS 3 HDFiorentina v Verona 22:45beIN SPORTS 8 HDGenoa v Juventus 22:45beIN SPORTS 3beIN SPORTS 3 HD

Spanish LeagueElche v Real Betis 14:00beIN SPORTS 2 HDBarcelona v Osasuna 19:00beIN SPORTS 2beIN SPORTS 2 HDSevilla v Valladolid 21:00beIN SPORTS 14 HDbeIN SPORTS 7 HDSociedad v Valencia 23:00beIN SPORTS 2 HD

French LeagueMontpellier v Bordeaux 16:00beIN SPORTS 5 HDbeIN SPORTS 13 HDLyonnais v Monaco 19:00beIN SPORTS 5 HDbeIN SPORTS 13 HDPSG v Saint Etienne 23:00beIN SPORTS 5 HD

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

SWANSEA: Youssouf Mulumbu scored an 85th-minute winner as West Bromwich Albion won 2-1at Swansea City yesterday to clamber threepoints clear of the Premier League relegationzone. Playing hours after sacking Nicolas Anelkafollowing his five-match ban for performing a‘quenelle’ salute, West Brom fell behind to a sec-ond-minute strike by Roland Lamah at theLiberty Stadium.

However, Stephane Sessegnon marked hisfirst start since New Year’s Day by equalising earlyin the second period before Mulumbu complet-ed the visitors’ comeback with an elegant finish.

The Congolese midfielder’s goal gave West Brommanager Pepe Mel a first victory at the ninthattempt, lifting the club three points clear ofthird-bottom Sunderland and to within onepoint of 14th-place Swansea.

West Brom sacked Anelka late on Friday afterhe claimed to have unilaterally terminated hiscontract and the French striker’s departureshould allow the club to focus purely on their bidto avoid the drop. Mel brought Sessegnon, JamesMorrison, Graham Dorrans and Craig Dawsoninto his starting XI, switching to a 3-5-2 forma-tion, but he saw his side fall behind with less than120 seconds on the clock.Wilfried Bony’s passfrom deep split the visiting defence and Lamahcut in from the left before beating Ben Fosterfrom a prohibitive angle.

In response, Victor Anichebe shot straight atSwansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm, but the hosts,characteristically dominating possession, contin-ued to threaten. Foster thwarted Bony at point-blank range after the Ivorian attacked a crossfrom Lamah, who put a header off-target from a

corner and narrowly failed to apply the finishingtouch to a centre from Wayne Routledge.

Routledge then teed up Bony to lash a shotover the top, before the livewire Lamah sent in across that eluded Bony and could not be turnedin by Jonathan De Guzman.

Swansea captain Ashley Williams, meanwhile,could only direct a free header into the groundand over the bar from eight yards out. West Bromattacked the second period with vigour, equalis-ing in the 52nd minute when Sessegnon sent alow shot skidding past Vorm from 25 yards.

Swansea had a penalty appeal turned downafter a shot from Bony appeared to strikeGareth McAuley on the arm and the hoststhen introduced Michu from the bench, fol-lowing a three-month absence with an ankleproblem.

De Guzman forced Foster to save with his feetafter a driving run and with five minutes remain-ing, Mulumbu guided a shot between JordiAmat’s legs and past a motionless Vorm to giveWest Brom a much-needed victory. — AFP

West Brom see off SwanseaSwansea 1

West Brom 2

SUNDERLAND: Sunderland missed achance to improve their PremierLeague survival prospects after beingheld to a 0-0 draw by fellow strug-glers Crystal Palace yesterday.

Gus Poyet’s team were unable toturn their possession into goals in atense clash at the Stadium of Lightand they remain in the relegationzone, sitting three points adrift ofsafety following their third consecu-tive league match without a win.

Palace dropped to one placeabove the bottom three after theirfourth successive game without awin. With Sunderland desperate for avictory against one of their main rivalsin the fight to beat the drop, Poyetmade seven changes to the teambeaten by Hull in the FA Cup quarter-finals. Oscar Ustari, Santiago Vergini,Andrea Dossena, Lee Cattermole, JackColback, Emanuele Giaccherini andIgnacio Scocco were axed as VitoMannone, Wes Brown, Marcos Alonso,Liam Bridcutt, Ki Sung-Yueng, AdamJohnson and Fabio Borini returned.

Sunderland were quickly into theirstride, with former Manchester City

star Johnson at the heart of their bestmoments.

Johnson was a real menace toPalace left-back Joel Ward, whoearned an early booking after chop-ping down the elusive winger.

The fierce wind whipping aroundthe Stadium of Light made twoalready anxious teams even morehesitant in possession and there werefew real chances in a scrappy first half.Poyet’s men were having the better ofit but poor execution let them downon the rare occasions they had a sightof goal.

Steven Fletcher was unable toconvert a miscued shot from Borini,while South Korea midfielder Kiblazed well wide from long-range.

Poyet sent on Jozy Altidore forFletcher at half-time and theAmerican striker came close to break-ing the deadlock with a dipping shotthat forced Julian Speroni to make afine save.

Yannick Bolasie fired straight atSunderland goalkeeper Mannonewhen Palace finally got through theBlack Cats’ defence after good workfrom Tom Ince.

Borini was denied by the wood-work when his powerful strike beatSperoni but cannoned back off theangle of bar and post.

And Palace fared no better whenSouth African midfielder KagishoDikgacoi dragged his shot wide froma good position inside theSunderland penalty area. —AFP

STOKE-ON-TRENT: Peter Odemwingienetted a brace and Marko Arnautovicalso scored to lift Stoke City to a 3-1win at home against Premier Leaguerivals West Ham yesterday. Both wereequal on points before the clash withonly goal difference separating themidtable sides scrambling to moveaway from the drop zone.

But the hosts were trailing after justfive minutes when striker Andy Carrollscored from a set piece pairing withMark Noble at the Britannia Stadium.

Carroll rose above Peter Crouch andsmashed a header past Asmir Begovic,who had rushed off his line to try to

punch the ball away. It was 25-year-oldCarroll’s first start since his sending-offat the start of February, and his firstgoal since last April.

Stoke pulled level after 33 minuteswhen Crouch’s acrobatic shot deflect-ed in off Odemwingie on the line. BothSteven N’Zonzi and Stephen Irelandmissed chances to give the hosts theadvantage before the break. KevinNolan thought he had made it 2-1 tothe visitors in the 61st minute only forhis effort to be controversially ruledoffside.

But Austrian winger MarkoArnautovic put Stoke ahead after 69minutes before Odemwingie slammedhome his second from an angled shotoff an Ireland pass ten minutes later.

It gave manager Mark Hughessomething more to celebrate on his300th Premier League game as a man-ager.Hughes becomes the 10th man-ager to reach that milestone. Stoke areprovisionally tenth with 34 points,three points above West Ham. — AFP

LONDON: Ashkan Dejagah’s 68th-minute goal lifted Fulham’s hopes ofavoiding relegation from the PremierLeague as they recorded a 1-0 victoryover Newcastle United at CravenCottage yesterday.

Felix Magath’s side remain at thefoot of the table, four points off safety,but with other struggling teams alsoclaiming positive results, anything otherthan a win would have represented asetback.

Dejagah’s decisive strike came 14minutes after Fulham were convincedthey had gone ahead, only for goal-linetechnology to show that JohnnyHeitinga’s shot had failed to cross theline by the tiniest of margins. Newcastlemanager Alan Pardew was forced towatch the game on television from ahotel room as he served the first of aseven-match ban imposed for headbut-ting Hull City midfielder David Meyler.But he and his players can have had fewcomplaints about the result after a lack-lustre performance that dealt a blow to

their chances of claiming a place in theEuropa League. Fulham managerMagath had claimed before this gamethat too many of his squad had yet towake up to the fact that their top-flightstatus is in peril.

It seemed a game that Fulhamcould not afford to lose and Magathattempted to revive his side’s fortunesby making five changes to the teamthat started last weekend’s morale-sap-ping defeat at fellow strugglers CardiffCity. Once again, though, the managerplaced his faith in 19-year-old CauleyWoodrow to lead the attack. And theteenager came close to handingFulham the perfect start in the seventhminute when he narrowly failed to geton the end of Lewis Holtby’s clippedfree-kick, which had caught theNewcastle defence flat-footed.

That would not be the only time thevisitors looked unconvincing in the firsthalf and against a better team, theymight have been punished.

HEISTING SO CLOSEAgainst this Fulham side, however,

they survived unscathed as the hostsdemonstrated the uncertainty and lackof conviction that has dogged theircampaign so far.

An inswinging corner from homewinger Alex Kacaniklic was allowed tobounce in front of Newcastle goalkeep-er Tim Krul inside the six-yard box, butthere was nobody in a Fulham shirt on

hand to stab the ball home. And whenKrul was called into action by Holtby’scurling left-foot shot, the Dutchmanreacted well to tip the shot away at fullstretch. Fulham’s lack of firepower wasfrustrating for Magath, although theGerman could at least draw comfortfrom the fact that Newcastle were simi-larly unthreatening.

Looking like a team with little toplay for, the visitors’ play lacked urgencyand Fulham’s David Stockdale, recalledin goal in place of error-prone Hollandinternational Maarten Stekelenburg,was largely untroubled.

Like Krul, when he was called upon,he responded with a fine save to repelPapiss Cisse’s snapshot nine minutesbefore the break.

Aware they were in danger of lettingan opportunity slip away, Fulhamupped their efforts after half-time andthey had the ball in the net within twominutes of the restart, only for the effortto be ruled out for offside. Then, in the54th minute, Heitinga’s deflected shotstruck the bar and bounced down ontothe goal-line, only for the Hawkeyereplay to show that a thin sliver of theball had not crossed the line.—AFP

SOUTHAMPTON: Southamptonclimbed to eighth place in the PremierLeague and kept Norwich City at riskof relegation with an entertaining 4-2win at St Mary’s yesterday.

Goals from Morgan Schneiderlin,substitute Rickie Lambert and JayRodriguez left Southampton 3-0 upwith 18 minutes to play, beforeNorwich threatened to mount animprobable late comeback.

Johan Elmander and RobertSnodgrass struck twice in barely aminute to leave Chris Hughton’s sideon the verge of a memorable turn-around, only for Sam Gallagher tomake victory safe for the hosts in stop-page time.

Victory took Southampton aboveNewcastle United to eighth place, sixpoints below the European places,while Norwich remain 15th, fourpoints above the bottom three.

It took the home side less than fiveminutes to break the deadlock, withSchneiderlin gathering a pass fromGaston Ramirez and clipping a com-

posed finish past Norwich goalkeeperJohn Ruddy after a slick move.Anthony Pilkington demonstratedNorwich’s frustration when heattempted to punch in a cross fromGary Hooper before half-time, earninghim a booking, and in the 57th minuteSouthampton made it 2-0.

Ryan Bennett accidentally steeredthe ball into the path of Lambert, whocut inside Jos Hooiveld to score just64 seconds after rising from the benchto replace England colleague AdamLallana.

Norwich manager Hughtonresponded by introducing Elmander,Ricky van Wolfswinkel and NathanRedmond from the bench, but he sawRodriguez extend the hosts’ lead inthe 72nd minute from Lambert’stouch.

Still Southampton advanced,Rodriguez smashing a shot againstthe bar and Ruddy saving fromLambert, before the visitors belatedlycame to life. Elmander seized on asloppy pass from Jose Fonte to reducethe arrears in the 85th minute andmoments later, Snodgrass followed upa shot from Van Wolfswinkel to crashhome Norwich’s second. A perilousperiod of injury time appeared tobeckon for Southampton, but insteadit was they who scored next, withGallagher scampering in behind theNorwich defence to finally put thegame to bed. — AFP

Odemwingie brace lifts Stoke past West Ham

Stoke 3

West Ham 1

Sunderland 0

C Palace 0

Fulham 1

Newcastle 0

Southampton survivelate Norwich assault

Southampton 4

Norwich 2

Sunderland frustrated by Palace stalemate

SUNDERLAND: Crystal Palace’s English striker Cameron Jerome (left) ischallenged by Sunderland’s Spanish defender Marcos Alonso during theEnglish Premier League football match. — AFP

Dejagah gives Fulham hope

LONDON: Fulham’s English striker Cauley Woodrow (second left) vies withNewcastle United’s Ivorian midfielder Cheick Tiote (second right) duringtheir English Premier League football match. — AFP

SUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

1817Dortmundshocked at home

Pennetta to face Radwanska in Indian Wells final Page 16

Clippers silence Jazz

BIRMINGHAM: Chelsea’s Brazilian midfielder Willian (right) vies with Aston Villa’s Dutch-born Moroccan midfielder Karim El Ahmadi (left) during the English Premier League football match. — AFP

BIRMINGHAM: Leaders Chelsea surrenderedthe initiative in the Premier League title raceas they had two players and boss JoseMourinho sent off in a shock 1-0 defeat atAston Villa yesterday. Fabian Delph’s flickedstrike in the 82nd minute, either side of dis-missals for Willian and Ramires, stopped theBlues maintaining their advantage over sec-ond-placed Manchester City, who are nowjust six points behind Chelsea with three

games in hand.Tempers flared in stoppage-time when

Mourinho took his protestations over Ramires’red card onto the pitch before receiving hismarching orders from referee Chris Foy.

It was a bitter end to a frustrating match forMourinho, who watched his lacklustre sidelabour in vain to break down Villa before suc-cumbing to Delph’s winner.

As well as their games in hand, ManuelPellegrini’s City have a superior goal differenceto Chelsea and Mourinho could be forgiven forfeeling he is cursed at Villa Park-the only top-flight ground in England at which he has notwon.

The Portuguese could have few complaintswith the result though after an insipid perform-ance from his team in which they created only aspate of openings, a disallowed goal for a hand-ball by Nemanja Matic the best of them.

Meanwhile, it meant back-to-back home vic-tories for Villa for the first time in four years asPaul Lambert’s side climbed into the top half ofthe table.

Mourinho had recalled the fit-againFernando Torres for Samuel Eto’o up front,while Brazil duo Willian and Oscar were alsorestored.

This was a contest where Villa had to playwith a no-holds-barred intensity to match theleaders and Chelsea were given an early insightinto what lay in store when a Nathan Bakerlunge on Eden Hazard earned the defender abooking.

It was Villa who created the game’s firstopening when a well-worked move in the 10thminute ended in Delph crossing for ChristianBenteke yet the striker could only head overthe crossbar.

Willian posed the Blues’ biggest threat early

on and, after cutting in menacingly from theleft, his low 20-yard strike flashes inches pastBrad Guzan’s near post.

Four minutes later he teed up compatriotOscar just inside the area for a whipped effortwhich curled narrowly wide of the right wood-work.

Villa were close to taking the lead whenBenteke’s audacious scissor kick from outsidethe area flashed wide. The Blues had the ball inthe net just before the break when Matic bun-dled home at the far post from John Terry’sflick-on yet, after consulting with assistantPeter Banks, Foy ruled the midfielder had con-trolled the ball with his forearm.

Villa were always a danger on the counterthough and Benteke was unlucky to see aneffort from the edge of the box curl wide aftera one-two with Andreas Weimann.

Mourinho reacted by introducing Andre

Schurrle and Demba Ba for Torres and Oscar on67 minutes in a bid to spark his team intoaction, yet a minute later Chelsea’s cause wasdealt a hefty blow following Willian’s dismissal.

Already on a caution for a first-half two-footed lunge on Leandro Bacuna, the midfield-er could have few complaints following aneedless tug on Delph in the centre of thepitch.

It fully shifted the momentum into Villa’sfavour and Chelsea were made to pay witheighth minutes left when midfielder Delph fedMarc Albrighton before meets his return crosswith a stunning improvised backheel whichcrept inside the far post.

Petr Cech then pushed another Delph strikeonto his crossbar before Ramires saw a straightred for an ugly two-footed stamp on Karim ElAhmadi, which then resulted in Mourinho alsobeing dismissed for his protests. — AFP

Chelsea falter in EPL title raceAston Villa 1

Chelsea 0

LONDON: David Silva inspired 10-man ManchesterCity to a 2-0 victory at Hull City yesterday that keptthe visitors’ Premier League title fate in their ownhands. Spanish midfielder Silva scored a stunningopener in the 14th minute at the KC Stadium andset up a late Edin Dzeko strike as City survived theearly dismissal of captain Vincent Kompany.

Victory for Manuel Pellegrini’s men representsthe first step in their task of reeling in league lead-ers Chelsea. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho hasbeen at pains to stress that the advantage lies withCity, but, with points on the board, few genuinelybelieve he would readily swap places.

Mourinho’s mind games aside, the pressure onCity is palpable as they look to play catch-up afterseeing two other chances of silverware vanish inless than a week.

Pellegrini’s side lifted the League Cup at thestart of the month, but were knocked out of the FACup by Wigan Athletic last weekend before going

out of the Champions League at Barcelona’s handsin mid-week. Pellegrini made four changes to theteam beaten 2-1 in Wednesday’s game at the CampNou, including bringing in Dzeko in place ofinjured striker Sergio Aguero.

Beyond taking the lead, Steve Bruce’s Hull couldhardly have wished for a more encouraging start asCity were a man down after 10 minutes.

Nikica Jelavic had already caused problems forthe City defence with his physical presence and hecapitalised on a moment’s hesitation by Kompany.

The City captain’s response was to haul theCroatian to the floor and, as the last defender, a redcard was inevitable, ruling the Belgian out of nextweekend’s home match against Fulham.

Pellegrini adjusted his team by dropping JaviGarcia into defence alongside Martin Demichelis,and the visitors’ response was almost instant.

HART ENRAGEDAfter Hull failed to close City down quickly, Yaya

Toure’s neat pass found Silva in a central position,25 yards out, and the Spaniard’s left-foot strike leftgoalkeeper Allan McGregor helpless.

City were close to doubling their advantagewhen a half-clearance found its way to PabloZabaleta and the Argentine’s volley crashed off theunderside of the bar and onto the goal-line beforebeing cleared.

The numerical advantage meant that Hull saw

more of the ball than they might have expected,while Bruce reacted by bringing on forward SoneAluko for defender Maynor Figueroa at half-time.

It sent out a positive message and Hull took thegame to their visitors. Shane Long’s smart turn andshot from 18 yards after good work from JamesChester was beaten away by Hart, before theEngland goalkeeper denied Jelavic, who mishit hisshot from Aluko’s inswinging free-kick.

Hull were increasing the pressure and the hostswere convinced that they deserved to be awardeda penalty after George Boyd went down in the areafollowing a challenge from Hart.

Hart clearly believed that Boyd had dived, andwas booked for angrily confronting the Hull substi-tute. With 18 minutes remaining, City mountedtheir first attack of the second half and they shouldhave killed off the game.

Silva’s deflected shot found its way toFernandinho 10 yards out, but the Brazilian some-how managed to shoot wide.

Dzeko was then guilty of squandering a similar-ly inviting opportunity when, after being putthrough by Gael Clichy, he could only fire straightat McGregor as the Hull goalkeeper rushed off hisline.

But the Bosnia and Hercegovina striker atonedin the 90th minute, latching onto a fine throughball by Silva and firing low past McGregor to sealthe victory — AFP

LIVERPOOL: Seamus Coleman’s stoppage-time strike earned Everton a dramatic 2-1 vic-tory over Cardiff at Goodison Park yesterdayto keep his side in the hunt for Europeanfootball.

Roberto Martinez’s team looked set to befrustrated after Juan Cala cancelled outGerard Deulofeu’s opener for the hosts.

Cala’s goal seemed likely to earn Cardiff apriceless point in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’sefforts to keep the Welsh club in the PremierLeague. But deep into stoppage-time substi-tute Aiden McGeady crossed from the left,Gareth Barry kept the ball in play with a com-mitted run and header and Coleman saw hismiscued attempt wrong-foot goalkeeperDavid Marshall and fly into the goal.

That moved Everton back up to sixthplace, while Cardiff dropped to second bot-tom, three points from safety. Deulofeu, theyoung winger on loan from Barcelona, hadscored an opening goal that looked likely to

continue Everton’s recent dominant homeform early in the second half.

After 58 minutes, the 20-year-old ran ontoLeon Osman’s through ball down the leftflank and past Gary Medel before cutting intowards the near post and scoring via a shotdeflected off Steven Caulker.

But within 10 minutes, PeterWhittingham’s superbly-placed free-kick intothe Everton six-yard area found the chest ofCala who guided the ball past the strandedTim Howard into the corner of the Evertongoal. Seeking a seventh consecutive homevictory that would have improved theirchances of a fifth-placed finish and Europeanfootball next season, Kevin Mirallas almostshot Everton into an early lead, shruggingaside Caulker and seeing his shot saved tidilyby David Marshall.

Leighton Baines’ resulting corner causedconfusion in the Cardiff area and a ricochetstruck Sylvain Distin before narrowly clearingthe bar.

But it was a resilient display by Cardiff,often featuring five men in defence, and onethat threatened Everton with a number ofhalf chances on the break.

The better opportunities fell to the homeside, nevertheless, with Seamus Coleman’sperceptive cross after 26 minutes beingmoved on by Romelu Lukaku for Mirallaswhose strike was deflected behind. — AFP

Silva, Dzeko kickstart Man City title charge

Hull 0

Man City 2

Everton 2

Cardiff 1

Coleman leaves it late to sink Cardiff

BusinessSUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

Western banks cold-shoulder Iran trade finance scheme

Page 22

In Crimea, pro-Russians tout IMF economic data

Page 23Chevrolet Traverse, Impala among best family cars

Page 26Housing conference spotlights policy flaws

Page 25

HYDERABAD: Indian people buy vegetables at a market in the evening in Hyderabad yesterday. India’s key inflation rate has dropped to its lowest level in nine months. — AP

NEW YORK: Weibo Corp, the Chinesemicroblogging service often compared withTwitter, filed yesterday for a US stock offeringseeking to raise $500 million. The move willallow the popular Chinese-language social net-work to spin off from the Internet giant Sina,according to documents filed with the USSecurities and Exchange Commission.

The filing said Weibo had 129.1 millionmonthly active users in December and 61.4 mil-lion average daily active users. The company didnot indicate whether Weibo would file its IPO onthe Nasdaq or New York Stock Exchange. Thelead underwriters will be Goldman Sachs Asiaand Credit Suisse.

“A microcosm of Chinese society, Weibo hasattracted a wide range of users, including ordi-nary people, celebrities and other public figures,as well as organizations such as media outlets,businesses, government agencies and charities,”

the SEC filing said.“Weibo has become a cultural phenomenon

in China. “Weibo allows people to be heard pub-licly and exposed to the rich ideas, cultures andexperiences of the broader world,” it added.

“Media outlets use Weibo as a source of newsand a distribution channel for their headlinenews. Government agencies and officials useWeibo as an official communication channel fordisseminating timely information and gaugingpublic opinion to improve public services.” Thefiling said Weibo’s initial public offering (IPO) willbe part of a “carve-out from Sina,” but that Sinawould “continue to provide us with certain sup-port services” after it becomes independent.

“We will use approximately $250 million ofthe net proceeds we receive from this offeringto repay loans we owe to SINA,” the documentread. “We intend to use the remainder to investin technology, infrastructure and product devel-

opment, to expand sales and marketing efforts,and for working capital and other general cor-porate purposes.”

‘China’s Twitter’ Weibo was launched in August 2009 with a

business model reminiscent of that of Twitter.Weibo reported revenues for 2013 of $188 mil-lion, triple the level of 2012, but has continuallylost money, like its US counterpart, with accumu-lated losses of $274.9 million as of December 31.

Despite Weibo’s vast popularity in China, itsascent has hit a few speed bumps recently dueto a social media crackdown by Beijing and therise of rival Tencent’s mobile app, WeChat. AJanuary report by the China Internet NetworkInformation Center showed that the total num-ber of Weibo users dropped nine percent year-on-year, to 281 million at the end of 2013 from308.6 million a year earlier.

Weibo said it would work to increase thenumber of users and monetization as it strivesfor profitability. For a comparison, Twitter’s high-flying Wall Street debut in November drewattention to the growing power of social media,but it also raised concerns about a potentialbubble in the sector.

The US microblogging service’s sharessoared after debuting at $26 in the initial publicoffering, but dropped the following day toslightly more than $40. At the close of tradingon the New York Stock Exchange, Twitter sharesstood at $51.92.

Enter AlibabaSeparately, US media reported that a huge

stock offering planned by Chinese e-commercegiant Alibaba is being prepared for New York.The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times,citing unnamed sources, said Alibaba chose

New York after ruling out Hong Kong andLondon for the initial public offering. Thereports did not indicate whether the IPO wouldbe on the Nasdaq or New York Stock Exchange.

Alibaba was not immediately available forcomment. The company’s stock market listingwas expected to raise about $10 billion, whichwould make it the technology industry’s largestIPO since Facebook’s in 2012. The Journal saidthat an IPO filing could come as soon as April,which could allow trading to begin by the thirdquarter.

The report said up to five banks may be giv-en lead underwriting roles. Alibaba operatesChina’s most popular e-shopping platform,Taobao, which has more than 90 percent ofthe online market for consumer-to-consumertransactions. Taobao has more than 800 mil-lion product listings and over 500 millionusers. — AFP

‘China’s Twitter’ Weibo files for IPO

$500 million US offering seen a ‘cultural phenomenon’

SHANGHAI: China will widen the yuan’s dailytrading band to two percent from the current onepercent, the central bank announced yesterday,underscoring efforts to loosen Beijing’s grip on itstightly-controlled currency. The move will takeeffect on March 17, the People’s Bank of China(PBOC) said in a statement on its website.

It follows a statement by the central bank lastmonth that it was seeking an “orderly expansion”of the trading band as a policy goal.

“In order to meet the demands of marketdevelopment, increase the strength of the mar-ket-determined exchange rate and establish amarket-based, managed floating exchange rateregime, the People’s Bank of China has decided towiden the floating range of the renminbi againstthe US dollar,” the bank said in its statement.

It added that the bank “will further developthe role of the market in the RMB exchange rateformulation mechanism”. China’s rulingCommunist Party has maintained a firm grip onthe yuan-also known as the renminbi, or RMB-asone of its key tools to control the economy, anddue to worries about unpredictable financialinflows or outflows.

In widening the currency’s trading band,Chinese authorities “must feel that the economyis in a strong enough position to handle anadjustment and other possible reforms ahead,”Paul Mackel, head of Asian currency research at

HSBC Holdings, told Dow Jones Newswires.The yuan has risen steadily against the dollar

over the past year, but it reversed course lastmonth to weaken around one percent-a depreci-ation that analysts say may have been engineeredby the central bank to target speculative fundsbetting on continued appreciation.

A campaign against Chinese governmentexcess took major bites out of spending on officialmeetings, travel and vehicles in 2013, theCommunist Party’s chief disciplinary body said.

The Central Commission for DisciplineInspection (CCDI) said in a statement money spenton meetings, official overseas trips and vehicle

China widens yuan trading band to 2%

Chinese 100 yuan (RMB) banknotes being counted at a bank in Huaibei, in eastern China’sAnhui province. — AFP

DUBAI: Dubai’s Emaar Properties said itwould sell up to 25 percent of its shop-ping mall and retailing unit in a publicoffer expected to raise 8 to 9 billiondirhams ($2.18-$2.45 billion), making itone of the region’s largest equity offerssince 2008. Emaar, Dubai’s biggest list-ed real estate developer, did not specifythe stock exchange on which theshares in its unit would be listed, andgave no timetable. In a statement yes-terday, it said the proceeds “will be pri-marily distributed as dividend” toEmaar shareholders. The shares to besold will come from the unit’s currentequity.

Dubai-listed Emaar’s flagship mall isthe Dubai Mall, one of the largest in theworld, which it says attracted morethan 75 million visitors in 2013. Thecompany also built the Burj Khalifa inDubai, the world’s tallest building. Thelisting plan underlines Dubai’s reboundfrom its financial crisis which erupted in2009. Before the crisis, Emaar talkedabout listing its shopping mall unit but

was forced to put the plan on hold asthe emirate’s real estate and stock mar-kets collapsed.

Both markets are now reboundingstrongly on the back of inflows of for-eign money, with residential propertyprices up over 20 percent last year andDubai’s main equity index rallyingabout 140 percent since the end of2012. Emaar is 31 percent-owned bythe Dubai government, which is set toearn a dividend of about $750 millionfrom the listing - an important windfall,since Dubai and government-relatedfirms face tens of billions of dollars ofdebt maturities in the next few years, alegacy of the crisis.

The malls and retailing unit postedrevenue of 2.84 billion dirhams lastyear, up more than 20 percent from2012, while its gross operating profitincreased 20 percent to 2.23 billiondirhams, Emaar said. Separately, Emaarsaid its board was proposing a 15 per-cent cash dividend and a 10 percentbonus share issue for 2013. — Reuters

Emaar plans $2.5bn listing

of shopping mall unit

NICOSIA: A year after a financial earthquake shatteredyears of prosperity in Cyprus, an austerity plan has put theeastern Mediterranean island back on track despite the bit-ter pill of rising unemployment. On the verge of bankrupt-cy because of the high exposure of its banks to Greek debt,Cyprus in March 2013 was granted a 10-billion-euro ($13.8-billion) international bailout, almost half of which has nowbeen paid out. The inevitable bank restructuring hasthrown many people out of work. “I need a job soon, verysoon. I was looking for a job from the first day I left thebank,” said former employee Akis Kourouzides, 45, who hasbeen unemployed for months. “I’m looking for a new job-starting from the beginning.” One downside to the finan-cial lifeline was the liquidation of Laiki, one of the island’smain commercial banks, and the restructuring of the mainlender, the Bank of Cyprus. This also resulted in depositorssuffering a savings “haircut” of between 47.5 percent and100 percent of balances above 100,000 euros.

The bailout also meant drastic budget cuts and anextensive program of privatization of unwieldy state sectorcorporations. At the beginning of March, the so-called troi-ka of international lenders-the International MonetaryFund, European Commission and European Central Bankissued a satisfactory report card. It said the island was ontrack, with a recession of 6.0 percent in 2013 two pointslower than forecast, allowing for a new tranche of aid of236 million euros to be paid.

But the future is far from rosy. The meltdown has result-ed in rising unemployment, which reached 16.2 percent inthe third quarter of 2013 (11.8 percent in 2012). Most —38.5 percent-are under the age of 25, and 19 percentunemployment is forecast for 2014. Such figures may palein comparison with 27 percent jobless in Greece, but theyare still hard to take in a society where as recently as 2008unemployment was still an abstract concept.

Graduates ‘our biggest problem’ That year only around four percent were out of work,

and the Gross Domestic Product had been in almost con-stant increase for 40 years. “We have never had such a situ-ation before,” said Andreas Christou of the labor ministry,adding that he foresees no improvement in the short term.

Young graduates “are currently our biggest problem”, hesaid. Banking has been among the hardest-hit sectors:according to bank employees’ union ETYK, 2,000 memberjobs have disappeared from a pre-crisis total of 11,500.Business has also been suffocated, as the dozens of emptyshops lining Nicosia’s former shopping center MakariosAvenue bear witness. “Cyprus society is still in shock,” saidKalliope Agapiou-Josephides of the University of Nicosia’sdepartment of political and social sciences. “It was thoughtwe had an economic and democratic model that was con-stantly developing for the better. We never thought therewould be a total reversal of the situation that could leadthe country into such a dire situation.”

It is the younger generation, the “best educated peoplewho benefited from the previously strong economy, whowill pay the greatest price”, she added. The labor ministry’sChristou said many young people are now opting to stayabroad after graduation, delaying their return for as longas they can. Others have taken the path of emigrating in abrain drain whose consequences have yet to be evaluatedbut which Christou predicts as “important”.

As a stopgap measure, the government has implement-ed a plan that will allow 2,500 young graduates to gain jobexperience for six months, earning 500 euros monthly. Asecond project for another 2,500 graduates is expectedsoon. In addition, people are being trained for future postsin the gas industry after the discovery of potentially vastoffshore gas deposits that it is hoped will make Cyprus hitthe jackpot. One way Cypriots have coped with the falloutof the financial meltdown has been to embrace the strongtradition of close-knit families. Children help parentswhose pensions have been decimated and “yayas” (grand-mothers) more than ever look after young children andcook for the whole family. “One of the advantages Cyprushas is this family safety net that lets nobody fall through,”Agapiou-Josephides said. — AFP

B U S I N E S SSUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

EXCHANGE RATES

Bahrain Exchange Company

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

Al Mulla Exchange

ASIAN COUNTRIESJapanese Yen 2.732Indian Rupees 4.632Pakistani Rupees 2.729Srilankan Rupees 2.158Nepali Rupees 2.896Singapore Dollar 223.180Hongkong Dollar 36.351Bangladesh Taka 3.623Philippine Peso 6.355Thai Baht 8.754Irani Riyal transfer 0.271Irani Riyal cash 0.273

GCC COUNTRIESSaudi Riyal 75.257Qatari Riyal 77.543Omani Riyal 733.110Bahraini Dinar 749.570UAE Dirham 76.856

ARAB COUNTRIESEgyptian Pound - Cash 39.250Egyptian Pound - Transfer 40.089Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.318Tunisian Dinar 180.370Jordanian Dinar 398.530Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.893Syrian Lira 2.011Morocco Dirham 35.709

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIESUS Dollar Transfer 282.100Euro 394.940Sterling Pound 475.200Canadian dollar 256.450Turkish lira 127.970Swiss Franc 714.180Australian Dollar 258.250US Dollar Buying 280.900

GOLD20 Gram 240.00010 Gram 121.0005 Gram 62.500

Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000)US Dollar 281.600Euro 391.900Pound Sterling 469.750Canadian Dollar 254.850Indian Rupee 4.633Egyptian Pound 40.090Sri Lankan Rupee 2.157Bangladesh Taka 3.625Philippines Peso 6.330Pakistan Rupee 2.810Bahraini Dinar 749.850UAE Dirham 76.700Saudi Riyal 75.200*Rates are subject to change

CURRENCY BUY SELLEurope

Belgian Franc 0.007332 0.008332British Pound 0.462277 0.471277Czech Korune 0.006264 0.018264Danish Krone 0.048291 0.053291Euro 0.385259 0.393259Norwegian Krone 0.043228 0.048428Romanian Leu 0.086667 0.86667Slovakia 0.008066 0.018066Swedish Krona 0.040128 0.045128Swiss Franc 0.314266 0.324466Turkish Lira 0.125432 0.132432

AustralasiaAustralian Dollar 0.246149 0.257649New Zealand Dollar 0.232670 0.241170

AmericaCanadian Dollar 0.248103 0.256603US Dollars 0.278050 0.282400US Dollars Mint 0.278550 0.282400

AsiaBangladesh Taka 0.003293 0.003893Chinese Yuan 0.044791 0.048291Hong Kong Dollar 0.034266 0.037016Indian Rupee 0.004372 0.004773Indonesian Rupiah 0.000019 0.000025Japanese Yen 0.002646 0.002828Kenyan Shilling 0.003256 0.003256Korean Won 0.000254 0.000269Malaysian Ringgit 0.082334 0.088334Nepalese Rupee 0.002842 0.003012Pakistan Rupee 0.002570 0.002850

Philippine Peso 0.006358 0.006638Sierra Leone 0.000062 0.000068Singapore Dollar 0.219262 0.22562South African Rand 0.020184 0.028884Sri Lankan Rupee 0.001865 0.002445Taiwan 0.009189 0.009369Thai Baht 0.008381 0.008931

ArabBahraini Dinar 0.741953 0.749953Egyptian Pound 0.036772 0.039872Iranian Riyal 0.000078 0.000079Iraqi Dinar 0.000181 0.000241Jordanian Dinar 0.393730 0.401230Kuwaiti Dinar 1.0000000 1.0000000Lebanese Pound 0.000137 0.000237Moroccan Dirhams 0.024316 0.048316Nigerian Naira 0.001114 0.001749Omani Riyal 0.726824 0.732504Qatar Riyal 0.076790 0.078003Saudi Riyal 0.074603 0.075303Syrian Pound 0.002162 0.002382Tunisian Dinar 0.175706 0.183706Turkish Lira 0.125432 0.132432UAE Dirhams 0.075837 0.076986Yemeni Riyal 0.001281 0.001361

UAE Exchange Centre WLL

COUNTRY SELL DRAFT SELL CASH Australian Dollar 259.05 256.05Canadian Dollar 257.62 258.62Swiss Franc 326.02 324.02Euro 394.72 395.72US Dollar 281.40 284.40Sterling Pound 473.05 476.05Japanese Yen 2.78 2.80Bangladesh Taka 3.622 3.892Indian Rupee 4.607 4.907Sri Lankan Rupee 2.157 2.592Nepali Rupee 2.894 3.429Pakistani Rupee 2.788 2.790UAE Dirhams 76.68 77.15Bahraini Dinar 748.97 751.04Egyptian Pound 40.42 41.02Jordanian Dinar 400.50 406.15Omani Riyal 731.82 739.12Qatari Riyal 77.71 78.26Saudi Riyal 75.17 75.57

Rate for Transfer Selling RateUS Dollar 281.900Canadian Dollar 256.355Sterling Pound 470.375Euro 392.508Swiss Frank 321.250Bahrain Dinar 744.350UAE Dirhams 76.730Qatari Riyals 78.280Saudi Riyals 76.040Jordanian Dinar 397.280Egyptian Pound 40.444Sri Lankan Rupees 2.157Indian Rupees 4.648Pakistani Rupees 2.819Bangladesh Taka 3.621Philippines Pesso 6.330Cyprus pound 692.400Japanese Yen 3.725

Syrian Pound 2.955Nepalese Rupees 3.900Malaysian Ringgit 86.850Chinese Yuan Renminbi 46.335Thai Bhat 9.690Turkish Lira 127.050

Three steps to get

the promotion

you deserve

By Lama Ataya

Your skills and experience, reputation, andwork ethic are all factors that help youadvance in your career. In fact, 28.6 percent of

respondents in the Bayt.com ‘Career Advancementin the MENA’, June 2011, said that not updatingexisting skills is the biggest mistake one could makewhen climbing the career ladder, 17.1 percent statedthe biggest mistake as not being nice to others,while 10.2 percent mentioned not networking regu-larly as a mistake when it came to career advance-ment.

The rules for getting promoted today haveevolved and are not as predictable as they were inthe past. Even when you really think you deserve apromotion, you might not always get it. At times itbecomes necessary for you to talk to your managerand put forward a strong case for yourself. If thisprospect seems a little intimidating to you then hereare a few useful steps put together by the careerexperts at Bayt.com, the Middle East’s #1 job site, tohelp you climb the career ladder:

Step 1: Be preparedBeing prepared means arming yourself with evi-

dence of your stellar performance. Of course, yourmanager may be aware of some of it, like the bigdeals you pitched for and successfully closed, but it’simportant that you keep a record of all your achieve-ments. A good idea is to maintain a monthly spread-sheet that you can update continually - this will giveyou a handy record of your achievements. It’s alsoimportant that you communicate your achieve-ments well, such as using percentages and statisticswhile indicating the growth in sales figures, forexample, or target achievements.

Being prepared also means that when you walkinto your manager’s room for this discussion youknow the position you are aiming for. Identify theposition and get to know what skills it entails, thisway you can demonstrate that you have therequired skills to successfully take on that new posi-tion.

Step 2: Find the right timeTry to arrange a time with your manager where

you can talk about getting a promotion so you canhave their full attention. If your manager is busythen they might not take everything you’re sayingvery seriously. By having a specific time set asideyou’ll also have a chance to prepare yourself.

The most optimal time would be during yourannual review meeting, when you and your manag-er should ideally be having a discussion on how yourperformance has been for the past year.

Step 3: Display the right attitudeWhen talking to your manager, be positive. If

there was ever a time to boast about all the thingsyou know you’re good at, it’s now. And remember,whatever your manager’s reaction to your request,remain calm and be polite. If your request for a pro-motion gets through, that’s great! If not for whateverreasons, then don’t be disappointed. Ask your man-ager when you can revisit this discussion. It’ll makeyou look professional and means you can always askagain another time.

Asking for a promotion is natural for any go-get-ting professional, and it shows that you are aware ofyour worth as a valuable asset to the organization.Being diplomatic and professional throughout thisprocess will indeed paint you in favorable light toyour manager. Good luck!

Bayt.com weekly report

LONDON/ANKARA: Despite a diplomatic thaw, Western banksare steering clear of attempts by Iran to get them involved infinancing humanitarian transactions, fearing they could be penal-ized under US sanctions, bankers and government officials said.Iran was never barred from buying food or other humanitariangoods under sanctions imposed because of its disputed nuclearprogram, but measures by the European Union and the UnitedStates have made trade generally more difficult over the past twoyears by hindering payments and shipping.

As part of talks in Geneva over the nuclear question, Tehran ispressing world powers to speed up trade finance arrangementson humanitarian deals involving both Western and Iranian banks,according to an Iranian government document seen by Reutersand sources familiar with the initiative.

Iranian government officials and international trade sourcessay Tehran wants to simplify complex trade finance arrangementspotentially worth billions of dollars, which would alleviate pres-sure on the country’s sanctioned banking system. According to ajoint plan of action agreed in November in Geneva, world powerswould “establish a financial channel to facilitate humanitariantrade for Iran’s domestic needs using Iranian oil revenues heldabroad”.

“This channel would involve specified foreign banks and non-designated Iranian banks to be defined when establishing thechannel,” the action plan said. Iran, with its economy under severepressure, is keen to push this process forward. “We have beeninformed that according to the negotiations and agreementsdone in Geneva, the possibility to exchange direct LCs (letters ofcredit) between seven European banks and eight Iranian banksfor food, medication and humanitarian goods has been provided,”the Iranian government document seen by Reuters says, althoughit made clear this was not final. “Please note, that we can acceptno legal liability regarding this information as it remains to be offi-cially confirmed by the responsible authorities.”

Big thanks The US Treasury and EU officials declined to comment. But a

US official told Reuters that Washington had been talking withsome banks. “Some banks are willing to play a part here. But notall of them. There are a lot of big banks that have been subject tofines for engaging in transactions that were in violation of USsanctions that aren’t willing to do anything - even humanitarian,”the official said. “They just are not willing to do business with Iran.And we are not in a position to say, you have to.” Banks may well

feel the need for caution in this area.Regulators in New York and Washington are looking at poten-

tial violations by France’s Credit Agricole and Societe Generale ofUS sanctions imposed against countries like Iran, a person familiarwith the investigation said. In 2012 New York regulators threat-ened to revoke Standard Chartered’s banking license after it brokesanctions on Iran. HSBC was fined $1.92 billion by US regulatorsfor various violations including doing business with Iran. InFebruary, BNP Paribas set aside $1.1 billion for a possible fine forbreaching US sanctions on countries including Iran.

Several banking sources, speaking on condition of anonymitydue to the sensitivity of the subject, said Western banks were waryof getting involved in the latest initiative. One said banks wouldneed cast iron assurances that they would not face exposurebefore even considering it.

“It is only natural that banks will be cautious to what the politi-cal world offers. It changes so quickly, as events in Ukraine canattest,” the banker said. “What we could be looking at is very short-term financings or involvements and structures, so you will haveoptions to exit should anything go wrong,” he added. “Banks willneed more clarity.”

Interim agreementIran and Western governments reached an interim agreement

in November last year over Tehran’s atomic work in exchange forlimited sanctions relief for six months. By late July, Western gov-ernments hope to hammer out an accord that would lay to resttheir suspicions that Iran is seeking the capability to make anuclear bomb, an aim it denies, while Tehran wants sanctions lift-ed. Iranian government officials said the document, which hasbeen sent to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, tasked withsafeguarding Tehran’s interests, listed the following banks as “avail-able for further actions”: Standard Chartered Bank (London),Societe Generale (Paris), Banque de Commerce et de Placements(BCP) (Geneva), UniCredit Bank (Munich), Commerzbank(Frankfurt), United Bank (Zurich) and BHF Bank (Frankfurt).

It was not clear whether these banks had been approached toprovide finance. Two business executives familiar with the initia-tive said they were aware that Standard Chartered, SocieteGenerale, Commerzbank were among those on the wish list.Commerzbank, Societe Generale, United Bank and BCP alldeclined to comment. A spokeswoman for Standard Charteredsaid the bank was not involved and would not get involved in anytransaction with any party from Iran.

Unicredit said the group was “not aware of, and hence is notparticipating in any international initiative involving financialinstitutions related to Iran subsequent to the P5+1 (major pow-ers) accord”. BHF Bank said it was “not offering or providing anyfinancial services with links to Iran”.

Swiss and German banking regulators declined to comment,although officials in Germany said if German banks were stillrigidly adhering to prohibitions on doing business with Iran, thegovernment was ready to explain that some of those restric-tions were eased in November.

“If banks in Germany apply the restrictions too rigidly andcautiously in financial transactions with Iran, the governmentwould encourage them to clarify the possibilities that can bedone under the agreement, not in order to relax or changethese thresholds, but to help the banks keep in compliancewith the action plan,” a German finance ministry official said.

Iran eager for dealThe document also named the following Iranian banks:

Eghtesad Novin Bank, Parsian Bank, Bank Pasargad, KarafarinBank, Sarmaye Bank, Saman Bank, Bank Maskan and BankKeshavarzi.

“Iranians are very eager to have this as soon as possible andteams are working on it and all reports go to the SupremeLeader (Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei,” one senior Iranian govern-ment official familiar with the nuclear talks said. “It was anIranian initiative but the other party (Western powers) alsoagreed on that, though they had some internal dispute on thelist of Western banks,” the official said.

“There have been some direct contacts between Iraniansand various bank officials in Europe since November (theGeneva deal) but the final agreement needs more work andmeetings.”

The Iranian banks named in the document referred the issueto Iran’s central bank, which declined to comment. A Westerndiplomatic source confirmed the initiative was under discussionand Western powers saw such an arrangement as increasingthe transparency of trade deals.

“If you have Western banks, many of whom with US opera-tions, potentially involved in such an initiative it is a better situa-tion than having hundreds of middle men in such trades whereyou cannot track where the money is going. It also allows muchstricter governance on the part of those banks. This is the ideaat least,” the diplomatic source said. — Reuters

Western banks cold-shoulder

Iran trade finance scheme

Gulf Bank announces

winners of

Al-Danah daily draws

KUWAIT: Gulf Bank held its Al-Danah daily draws onMarch 9, 2014, announcing the names of its winners forthe week of March 2 to March 6. The Al-Danah dailydraws include draws each working day for two prizes ofKD1000 per winner.

The winners were(Sunday 02/03): Basmah Abdulrahman Najem Al-

Mansour, Ali Hassan Abbas Al-Mutawa(Monday 03/03): Waleed Khaled Saleh, Ahmad

Mohammed Jheesh Al-Resheedi(Tuesday 04/03): Wdad Halal Sajer Ali, Amal Hassan

Nasser Roudan(Wednesday 05/03): Rayan Tareq Al-Wanda, Batoul

Hussein Habib Mohammed(Thursday 06/03): Shaikhah Abdullatif Fadhil Al-Faresi,

Mutaz Ramadan Khalil Al-QuqaGulf Bank’s Al-Danah 2014 draw lineup includes daily

draws (2 winners per working day each receive KD1000), aswell as two additional prizes per quarter. Al-Danah’s firstquarterly draw for 2014 will be held on 27 March(KD200,000, KD125,000, and KD25,000), second quarter - 26June (KD250,000, KD125,000, and KD25,000), third quarter -25 September (KD500,000, KD125,000, and KD25,000) andthe final draw held on 8 January, 2015 announcing winnersof KD50,000, KD250,000 and the Al-Danah millionaire.

Gulf Bank’s Al-Danah allows customers to win cashprizes and simultaneously encourages them to save mon-ey. Chances increase the more money is deposited and thelonger it is kept in the account.

Al-Danah also offers a number of unique servicesincluding the Al-Danah Deposit Only ATM card which helpsaccount holders deposit their money at their convenience;as well as the Al-Danah calculator to help customers calcu-late their chances of becoming an Al-Danah winner.

To be part of the Al-Danah draws, customers can visitone of Gulf Bank’s 57 branches, transfer on line, or call theCustomer Contact Center on 1805805 for assistance andguidance. Customers can also log on to www.e-gulfbank.com/aldanahwinners, to find out more about Al-Danah and who the winners are.

Cyprus scrambling back

from brink of bankruptcy

B U S I N E S SSUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani children attempt to catch a kite severed from its string in Islamabad yesterday.Pakistan’s finance minister Ishaq Dar on March 12 said he was optimistic about an economic recoveryafter the rupee breached the psychologically important 100 to the dollar mark. — AFP

NBK ECONOMIC REPORTKUWAIT: Credit growth was steady at8.0 percent despite a third consecutivemonth of declining business credit inJanuary. Growth in January came fromhousehold borrowing which remainedthe fastest growing of all sectors,though it continued to confirm a mod-erating trend. Meanwhile, money sup-ply continued to slow down as privatedeposits contracted on the month.

The monthly gain was a relativelymodest KD 51 million, less than a thirdof the KD 180 million average monthlygain seen in 2013. Weakness camelargely from the non-financial businesssector which saw its third consecutivemonthly drop in credit.

Household debt remained the mostdynamic part of bank credit gaining KD89 million, though growth did slowslightly to 16.0 percent year-on-year(y/y). The sector is expected to contin-ue to see growth moderate in 2014, atrend seen since the middle of 2013.Consistent healthy growth in this sec-tor, however, has pushed its share oftotal bank credit up by two percentagepoints in the last 12 months to accountfor almost 30 percent.

Non-bank financials deleveragedfurther during the month followingan unusual gain in December. Creditto the sector was down by anotherKD 20 million in January, bringing theyear-on-year decline to 12.8 percent.This trend is likely to continue in2014, though at a slowing pace as thehealth of investment sector improves.

All remaining credit was down KD18 million, with growth mostly steadyat 6.7 percent y/y. Credit was downon declines in the real estate and“other” sectors, which were down byKD 60 mill ion and KD 23 mill ion,respectively. Meanwhile, the tradesector gained KD 49 million.

Money supply (M2) growth slowedfurther to 7.8 percent y/y with privatedeposits down by KD 213 million. Thedecline in deposits was largely in KDtime, down KD 178 million. KD sightand saving deposits were also lower.By contrast, foreign currency depositssaw a small increase. M1 growtheased to 10.3 percent.

Deposit rates on dinar timedeposits remained mostly unchangedfrom the previous month. Rates onthe 1-month, 3-months, 6-months,and 12-months timed deposits stood

at 0.56 percent, 0.74 percent, 0.94 per-cent, and 1.12 percent respectively.

Activity in the local interbank mar-ket has been picking up, with inter-bank deposits up 54 percent over thelast twelve months. Meanwhile, KDinterbank rates (KIBOR) have risen

since the middle of 2013. The averageone-week and one-month rates roseby around one and six basis pointsduring January to 0.47 percent and0.63 percent, respectively. Theovernight rate gained one basispoint.

Kuwait’s credit growth steady at 8%

In Crimea, pro-Russians

tout IMF economic data

Russia’s higher wages in focusSEVASTOPOL: Outside the squatSoviet-era building that housesSevastopol’s authorities, pro-Russianactivists have covered the wall with ablizzard of flyers aimed at persuadingresidents of Crimea to vote to leaveUkraine and become part of Russiatoday.

Patriotic extracts from the Russiannational anthem jostle for space withemotional condemnations of the newUkrainian government in Kiev, thecapital, highlighting what many eth-nic Russians here say are its fascisttendencies. But look carefully andyou’ll find more practical appeals forpeople’s votes. One, entitled “Tendemands from the InternationalMonetary Fund that will put Ukraineon its knees”, says the IMF will causeUkrainian living standards, alreadylower than Russia’s, to plummet.

Next to it, another sheet of A4,entitled “Our home is Russia”, reprintswhat it says is glowing praise from theIMF of Russia’s key economic indica-tors, telling voters how much higheraverage wages and pensions in Russiaare than in Ukraine.

As Crimea’s pro-Russian authoritiesseek to ensure what they say will be alandslide victory for those who wantthis strategic peninsula to becomepart of Russia, they are making a sim-ple pitch for voters: Your standard ofliving will rocket if you become part ofRussia.

Not all of the information beinggiven to voters is accurate. The “OurHome is Russia” flyer tells votersRussia is the fifth largest economy inthe world. It is in fact the eighth.

But the gap between the twocountries’ economies is nonethelessyawning. Ukraine’s economy, accord-ing to the IMF, is only the world’s 54thbiggest, and with a size of $176 billionis dwarfed by Russia’s, which is over$2 trillion.

Frenzy of patriotism Caught up in a frenzy of patriotism

fuelled and sustained by Russian state

media, many ethnic Russians here inSevastopol, the home of Russia’s BlackSea Fleet, and Crimea’s most Russiancity, don’t need much persuadinghow to vote.

Fifty eight percent of Crimean resi-dents are ethnic Russians. But thepromise of higher living standards, apledge aimed more at winning overethnic Ukrainians and Tatars, whotogether make up 36 percent of thepopulation, is cementing ethnicRussian convictions and, for many, isthe clincher.

“Even though Crimea has beenpart of Ukraine all these years, Russiais the one that has invested so muchmoney here. So much that it’s evenhard to list it all. Ukraine has donenothing,” said Nikolai, a 35-year-oldmerchant seaman, who declined togive his surname.

“In Russia, wages and pensions aremuch higher even though the pricesfor goods are about the same as here.With Russia our standard of living willbe higher, much higher”.

In one of the most militarized areasin the world where the landscape isscarred by dozens of Soviet-era basesoperated by the Ukrainian andRussian militaries, the question of ser-vicemen’s wages is also an importantone. As Crimea’s pro-Russian authori-ties try to persuade encircledUkrainian forces to surrender theirarms, renounce their oath, and switchsides, the promise of salaries morethan double the Ukrainian militarywage is on offer.

A campaign flyer pasted on acrumbling wall in the town ofBakchisaray, a place with a large Tatarpopulation, says joining Russia means“pensions, wages and social help atRussia’s level” as well as infrastructureinvestment.

The alternative, to stay withUkraine, means “lower pensions andsalaries and the removal of welfarebenefits,” it says, combined with “high-er gas and electricity bills” and “ourland being sold off to oligarchs and

foreigners”.“Make your choice. Don’t be slaves,”

it concludes.

Thank youNationalist pro-Kremlin Russian

politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky rein-forced that message on a visit lastmonth. “You will always have Russiangas. You will always have millions ofRussian tourists!,” he told a crowd. Thecrowd roared back: “ Thank You!”Zhirinovsky promised Russia wouldgive “any amount of money” to helpCrimea and south and eastern Ukraineif needed, and would ensure no-onewent cold.

Trundling towards Crimea on atrain from Kiev, Svetlana Dzubenko,an employee on Ukraine’s rail networkin her 20s, says the attraction of earn-ing Russian-level wages is a powerfulone.

“In Russia I can earn over threetimes what I do in Ukraine,” she said.“My pay now is 3,000 hryvnias amonth, but in Russia I would earn45,000 rubles, or about 12,000 hryv-nias doing the same thing. Right nowI have nothing left once I’ve paid forhousing, heating and food. What if Iwant to save up? What if I get sick?”

As the United States and theEuropean Union weigh economicsanctions against Russia to punish itfor what they view as its illegal mili-tary intervention in Crimea and itssupport for a referendum they regardas illegitimate, people here recognizetheir living standards might get worsebefore they get better.

Despite the lure of what they thinkwill be a better life as part of Russia,they say they are ready to soak upsome economic pain too. “For aRussian person the economy is notpriority number one,” said Julia, anethnic Russian housewife.

“We’ve been through a lot beforeand we won’t betray our motherlandso we can buy 100 different sorts ofsausage like people in the EuropeanUnion”. —Reuters

Obama overtime plan

stirring controversyWASHINGTON: President BarackObama’s move to make more workerseligible for time-and-a-half overtimepay is being hailed by Democrats whosee it as a potent midterm electionissue and condemned by Republicansand business leaders as presidentialoverreach. Supporters say it will helpthe still fragile economy, critics say itwill damage it further.

I t is l ikely to affect millions ofAmerican workers. “From my per-spective, they have to be pullingnumbers out of the air right now,”said Washington labor lawyer TammyMcCutchen, referring to the conflict-ing claims by partisans that it wouldeither help or hurt the economy. “Wedon’t even know what the policy isgoing to be.” She’s closer to theprocess than most. As administratorof the Labor Department’s Wage andHour Division during the George WBush administration, McCutchenoversaw the last rewrite of the pro-gram in 2004.

Currently, salaried workers makingmore than $455 a week, or $23,660 ayear, aren’t eligible for time-and-a-half overtime if some of their work isconsidered supervisory, even thoughmany spend most of their day doingmanual, clerical or technical workwith few management duties.Obama signed a presidential memo-randum on Thursday directing theLabor Department to devise newovertime rules “to ensure that work-ers are paid fairly for a hard day’swork.” He’s tossing out most of therules McCutchen wrote in theprocess.

“Well, it’s going to be bad for busi-

ness,” she said in an interview. “It’sgoing to be good for my bottom line.Lawyers al l over the countr y aregoing to be making a lot of money.”She called the rules “my babies. Ispent two years of my life working onthem. It’s personal for me. It’s goingto be very sad to see them taking outa lot of the stuff I put in,” she said. Butshe also warned that the Obamaadministration should expect a rockyroad ahead in implementing whatev-er new policy emerges - just as theBush administration faced last timearound. Those close to the processsuggest it will take 12 months to 18months for the agency to completeits new assignment.

The move clearly has angeredbusiness groups and congressionalRepublicans, but it fits in with theoverall Democratic midterm electiongame plan of focusing on incomeinequality and the middle class at thesame time the stock market hassoared. “This will help to build aneconomy that honors work, not onethat steals from workers,” AFL-CIOPresident Richard Trumka said. “Whileworkers are denied overtime pay thatthey have earned, compounding flatand falling wages, the bonus pool forWall Street grew from $1.9 billion in1985 to $26.7 billion in 2013 - anaverage annual increase of 14 per-cent in nominal terms.”

Business and conservative groupsargue that Obama’s order will havethe opposite effect of what is intend-ed and could lead businesses toreduce the number of employees orcut pay, resulting in a drag on nation-al economic growth. “ The federal

government, in particular, shouldn’tbe involved in labor markets in anyway, shape or form,” said JeffreyMiron, director of economic studiesat the Cato Institute, a libertarianthink tank, and a Harvard Universityeconomics professor. “It shouldn’t besetting hours legislation and itshouldn’t be providing union protec-tion.”

The order was the latest in a seriesof executive actions Obama has tak-en in an end run around congression-al Republicans, who have blockedmany of his proposals. With Congressblocking his attempt to raise the fed-eral minimum wage from $7.25 to$10.10 an hour, he used his executivepowers to raise it to that level forgovernment contractors. Thursday’spresidential memorandum is aimedat workers who make more than thefederal minimum but are ineligiblefor overtime pay under present lawbecause they are designated as man-agement, even when they have littleor no supervisory responsibilities.

“If you’re making $23,000, typical-ly you’re not high in management,”Obama said in unveiling the initia-tive. The White House contends the2004 revisions to the 1938 Fair LaborStandards Act are outdated andallow employers to exempt too manyworkers from overtime pay. Despitethe contrary claims of Democrats andRepublicans as to the economicimpact of Obama’s move, economistssuggest any such impact will be min-imal. “Be a boom to employmentamong lawyers, but otherwise not abig deal,” said Mark Zandi, chief econ-omist at Moody’s Analytics. —AP

CARACAS: President Nicolas Madurowarned airlines on Friday not to cutservices for Venezuela over billions ofdollars they are owed and threatenedthem with permanent expulsion.Airlines that serve Venezuela are bat-

tling to recover $3.7 billion blocked bythe government, the head of industrybody IATA said this week, accusingCaracas of breaking international rules.

Latin American airline Avianca-Tacasaid Wednesday it was suspending

flights between San Jose and Caracasbeginning April 7 due to a lack of prof-itability. Other foreign airlines includ-ing Ecuador’s Tame, Air Canada,Portugal’s TAP and Panama’s CopaAirlines have already reduced opera-tions in Venezuela. For an “airline thatreduces (operations) I will take severemeasures. The company that leaves thecountry will not return while we holdpower,” Maduro told a press conferencein Caracas.

Maduro, the handpicked leftist suc-cessor of the late firebrand HugoChavez, said that a reduction in opera-tions “was part of the war they want towage in Venezuela.” Venezuelan lawrequires air tickets to be sold in non-convertible bolivars, the national cur-rency, which the government thenexchanges with the airlines using USdollars. But Venezuelan authoritiesceased the dollar payments to the air-lines in October, the International AirTransport Association (IATA) said.

Tony Tyler, who heads IATA, saidWednesday: “Airlines certainly cannotsustain operations indefinitely if theycan’t get paid.” —AFP

Maduro threatens airlines

over Venezuela payment row

LISBON: A woman argues with a Portuguese police officer during aprotest outside the Portuguese parliament by Portuguese civil ser-vant unions, in Lisbon on Friday. The protest is against the increasein weekly working hours from 35 to 40 and other austerity measureslike salary and pensions cuts. —AP

B U S I N E S SSUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) end-ed last week with mixed performance. ThePrice Index closed at 7,454.50 points, downby 0.71 percent from the week before clos-ing, the Weighted Index increased by 0.71percent after closing at 459.97 points,whereas the KSX-15 Index closed at1,097.54 points up by 1.39 percent.Furthermore, last week’s average dailyturnover decreased by 32.05 percent, com-pared to the preceding week, reaching KD17.42 million, whereas trading volumeaverage was 159.84 million shares, record-ing decrease of 32.34 percent.

The stock market indicators closedmixed last week, whereas the Price Indexstood alone in the red zone, affected by thestrong selling operations that continuedfrom the week before, and concentrated onmany small-cap stocks, in addition to thespeculative operations presence thatbecame the main engine of the tradingactivity; as the speculators became themarket traffic leaders, in absence of the realmarket makers that can balance the bid &offer operations.

On the contrary, the Weighted Index andKSX-15 Index were able to realize gains bythe end of the week, supported by the ran-dom purchasing operations that concen-trated on the leading stocks, especiallyafter its announcements of the 2013 finan-cial results and dividend distributions; how-ever, the quick profit collection operationsthat were strongly present during most ofthe week’s sessions, lightened the indicesgains.

Moreover, last week’s stock market per-formance came in parallel with the declineof the trading values, whereas the tradingvalue in one session reached its lowest lev-el since November 2012, as a result to theabsence of the positive motivators, amonga lack of liquidity pumping due to the rareinvestment oppor tunit ies, and theinvestors’ fear of a continuous decline ofthe listed stocks prices while missing sup-porting factors, in addition to the watchstate for the listed companies announce-ments of its 2013 financial results.

For the annual performance, the priceindex ended last week recording 1.26 per-cent annual loss compared to its closing in2013, while the weighted index increasedby 1.57 percent, and the KSX-15 recorded2.73 percent growth.

Sectors’ indicesSix of KSE’s sectors ended last week in

the red zone, Five recorded increases,

whereas the Health Care sector ’s indexclosed with no change from the weekbefore. The Insurance sector headed thelosers list as its index declined by 2.25 per-cent to end the week’s activity at 1,120.21points. The Real Estate sector was secondon the losers’ list, which index declined by1.73 percent, closing at 1,342.82 points, fol-lowed by the Consumer Services sector, asits index closed at 1,077.19 points at a lossof 1.38 percent. The Technology sector was

the least declining as its index closed at1,036.74 points with a 0.37 percentdecrease.

On the other hand, last week’s highestgainer was the Oil & Gas sector, achieving1.18 percent growth rate as its index closedat 1,184.08 points. Whereas, in the secondplace, the Telecommunications sector ’sindex closed at 860.42 points recording1.03 percent increase. The Banks sectorcame in third as its index achieved 0.83 per-

cent growth, ending the week at 1,048.86points.

The Financial Services sector dominatedtotal trade volume during last week with396.16 million shares changing hands, rep-resenting 49.57 percent of the total markettrading volume. The Real Estate sector wassecond in terms of trading volume as thesector’s traded shares were 26.88 percentof last week’s total trading volume, with atotal of 214.80 million shares.

On the other hand, the FinancialServices sector’s stocks were the highesttraded in terms of value; with a turnover ofKD 30.04 million or 34.48 percent of lastweek’s total market trading value. TheBanks sector took the second place as thesector’s last week turnover was KD 19.46million represented 22.34 percent of thetotal market trading value. —Prepared bythe Studies & Research Department, BayanInvestment Co.

KSE stocks face selling pressureBAYAN WEEKLY MARKET REPORT

NEW YORK: Investors will start the week early as theSunday referendum to decide if Crimea becomes partof Russia or remains Ukrainian will likely reverberatein markets worldwide.

U.S. stocks closed Friday with their largest weeklydrop in the last seven weeks as the strongest con-frontation between Russia and the West since theend of the Cold War unfolds. Markets were alsohaunted by concerns over a slowdown in China’seconomy. Dozens of Russians involved in Moscow’sgradual takeover of Crimea face US and EU travelbans and asset freezes on Monday as pro-Moscowauthorities who have taken power in Crimea hold aSunday vote to join Russia.

“There’s an open question as to who suffers most,”said Sam Wardwell, investment strategist at PioneerInvestments in Boston, about the planned economicsanctions. “The EU is dependent on Russian naturalgas; it’s an economic mutually assured destruction.”

This week’s record decline in foreign holdings ofUS Treasuries has led some to speculate that Russiahas been cutting its dollar reserves ahead of possiblesanctions from the West. Moscow shipped moretroops and armor into Crimea on Friday and repeatedits threat to invade other parts of Ukraine despiteWestern demands to pull back. “It will be harder tomake a new high with these global and geopoliticaleffects overhanging,” said Andre Bakhos, managingdirector at Janlyn Capital in Bernardsville, New Jersey.

“I don’t know if these warnings signs result in direresults, but they are certainly to be considered whenmaking a macro bet.” On Wall Street, despite theweekly decline the S&P 500 held near its record high.Investors, however, have been protecting their betswith other instruments.

The CBOE Volatility index VIX jumped near 10 per-cent to 17.82, its highest level since early February, as

investors were willing to pay more for protectionagainst a drop in the S&P 500.

“Maybe the average investor isn’t acting worried,but I sure think option traders are bracing for somefireworks next week,” said Ryan Detrick, senior techni-cal strategist at Schaeffer’s Investment Research inCincinnati.

The trading volume on spot VIX options was morethan twice the norm on Friday, with the most activetrades in the March and July 20 calls. The VIX hasclosed above 20 just one day this year, on Feb. 3.

Fed to stay courseThe Federal Reserve is also on investor’s radars for

next week as a two-day meeting of its policy-settingcommittee kicks off Tuesday.

The Fed could use the meeting, the first with JanetYellen as chair, to map out its plan for rate rises,whether in the formal statement it issues afterwardor in Yellen’s news conference.

The Fed has telegraphed that the first rate rise islikely to come around the middle of next year, as longas the US economy keeps healing. “Our anticipation isthe Fed will taper again maintaining the schedulethey have. There seems to be a high hurdle for themto alter that schedule,” said Pioneer Investments’Wardwell.

Recent weakness in economic data has beenattributed in part to weather issues, and markets donot expect the Fed to veer its course of windingdown its asset-purchase program by another $10 bil-lion, bringing the monthly purchase total to $55 bil-lion.

Market-sensitive data on tap for next week includehousing star ts and consumer inf lat ion data onTuesday and the Philly Fed survey, weekly joblessclaims and home resales on Thursday. — Reuters

NEW YORK: Stock investors started the week worryingabout China. They ended it waiting on Russia. Investorsspent much of Friday monitoring developments in theUkraine’s region of Crimea, where residents will vote todayon whether to join Russia. The US and European Union havevowed to impose sanctions on Russia as early as Monday ifMoscow moves to annex Crimea. The uncertainty mostlystalled major stock indexes, which moved between smallgains and losses through much of the day. Many investorstook a cautious approach, turning to lower-risk stocks likeutilities.

All told, the Dow Jones industrial average slid 43.22points, or 0.3 percent, to end at 16,065.67. The Standard &Poor’s 500 index fell 5.21 points, or 0.3 percent, to close at1,841.13. The Nasdaq composite dropped 15.02 points, or0.4 percent, to finish at 4,245.40. Even so, the S&P 500 indexended the week down less than 2 percent from a recordhigh reached the previous Friday. And it remains just slightlyin the red for the year.

“The market is still pretty close to all-time highs. I thinkthat speaks volumes,” said Karyn Cavanaugh, a senior mar-ket strategist with ING US Investment Management. “Themarket hasn’t been rattled severely by what’s been going onthis week, therefore I think next week I’d probably expect asimilar reaction.” In government bond trading, the yield onthe 10-year Treasury note was little changed from lateThursday at 2.65 percent.

Despite the Dow posting its fifth loss in five days, themarket regained some of its footing from a day earlier, whenthe three major indexes lost more than 1 percent - the worstday for the market in six weeks. Thursday’s decline was asharp contrast to the relatively quiet trading Mondaythrough Wednesday.

Discussions between US Secretary of State John Kerryand Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Friday set themood heading into the weekend. Despite six hours of talks,the two sides had “no common vision,” for the crisis inUkraine, Lavrov said.

He told reporters that Russia has no plans to invadesoutheastern Ukraine. But if Crimea secedes, the US andEuropean Union plan to slap sanctions on Russian officialsand businesses accused of escalating the crisis and under-mining Ukraine’s new government.

The impact of sanctions on Russia would likely affect theenergy sector and oil in particular, said Jonathan Corpina,senior managing partner at Median Equity Partners. “Anysanctions, if they get to that level, are going to have a majoreffect in all areas,” he said. Russia is the world’s eighth largesteconomy. Its oil and gas exports make up roughly a quarterof its GDP.

Escalating tension in Ukraine is the latest development ina volatile year for the stock market. Severe winter weatherhas hurt corporate earnings and stoked doubts about thestrength of the US economy. Concerns over emerging mar-kets battered stocks at the end of January. And in recentweeks, discouraging data on the Chinese economy haveadded to investors’ concerns.

That’s a stark shift from last year, when the marketenjoyed a surge of 30 percent and slightly more, if dividendsare included. “The ride this year will be bumpier than lastyear,” said Jim Dunigan, managing executive of investmentsat The PNC Financial Services Group. “Coming off a marketof plus 32 percent last year, it’s not surprising the difficulty togain any traction here.”

Still, Cavanaugh of ING US Investment Management, saidinvestors know that fundamentals are “solid.” She noted thatcorporate earnings are good at 8.5 percent growth in thefourth quarter versus a year earlier.

Beyond the action in Ukraine, investors also will have adose of US housing data and an update from Fed Chair JanetYellen in the mix next week. Fed policymakers are expectedto continue scaling back the central bank’s stimulus.

On Friday several stocks posted gains. Keurig jumped$7.09, or nearly 7 percent, to $113.25 after Starbuckssaid Friday that it has agreed to give up its right to bethe only provider of premium coffee for Keurig’s coffeebrewing machines. That opens the door for Keurig tooffer other high-quality coffee brands in single-servingpackages. Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrances vaulted$5.75, or 6.4 percent, to $95.26. The beauty productsretailer reported a nearly 10 percent increase in itsfourth-quarter profit thanks to improved sales. Amongthe decliners was retailer Aeropostale, which fell $1.47,or 20 percent, to $5.83 after reporting a wider loss lateThursday. The operator of clothing stores for teenagersalso warned of tough times ahead. — AP

Crimea vote to keep markets on edge

WALL STREET WEEKLY OUTLOOK

Investors’ worry on China now extends to Russia

B U S I N E S SSUN DAY, MARCH 16, 2014

AL-SHALL WEEKLY ECONOMIC REPORTKUWAIT: The old unsustainable rules andfoundations of the housing issue are thesame wrong rules and foundations for thecurrent employment issue and the publicfinance issue. In fact, they are all interrelatedand the continuation of any will expedite thefailure of the other. Early last week, a confer-ence sponsored and shared by both the gov-ernment and the parliament was held duringwhich presentations were submitted, someof which were rational and their core wasclaiming that the continued planting of thecountry from border to border with horizon-tal housing units is impossible and representsthe selling of an illusion which will not berealized. Not only that, it will diminish oilexports, accumulate public finance deficitand will inevitably lead to inability to provideemployment, education and health servicesand even maintenance of the infrastructure.

Al-Shall previously published its figuresabout the major issues, and concluded theinevitability of the country running againstthe wall if the government continues its cur-rent policies. But it is fine to borrow some fig-ures from the conference papers which con-clude the same results and assert the impos-sibility of sustaining the current policies. TheMinister of Electricity stated in his commentthat the Public Authority for Housing Welfarehas submitted a request to provide power forabout 174,000 new housing units, whichneed about 14,000 megawatts, or more thanthe power which Kuwait generated sinceindependence, noting that the number ofexisting houses in Kuwait is currently approx-imately 140,021. He added that Kuwait cur-rently subsidizes energy by about KD 3 billionannually, or about 75 percent of all publicbudget expenditures in the FY 1999/2000which will increase deductions from oil pro-duction to generate domestic energy fromabout 10 percent to 20 percent at theexpense of exports.

Chairman of the Real Estate Associationand President of the Organizing Committeesays in his paper what is impossible toaccomplish. The percentage of Kuwaiti fami-lies that own their housing in the last 10years since 2003 and until 2013 droppedfrom about 61 percent to 55.9 percent. Thewaiting list is currently about 109 thousandapplications and there is a promise to com-plete 174,000. President of the OrganizingCommittee estimates the number of forth-coming housing applications in the next 20years to be about 342,960 requests, whileeach housing unit with an area of 400 sq m isestimated to cost approximately KD 252,000with a total cost of KD 86.7 billion. It isinsignificant if cost figures are slightly impre-cise, for what remains of public funds eitherway will neither be sufficient to create 600thousand jobs for new comers to the labormarket nor to provide decent medical andeducational services. In fact, what remainswill not guarantee the minimum limit for nec-essary political stability.

The Housing Minister in the same govern-ment states that there are financial and tech-nical constraints to building 174,000 houses;but the most important restraint, accordingto him, is the time constraint. In other words,he promises to distribute 12,000 housingunits per year, which means he believes inthe sustainability of the current housing poli-cy. We do not know which of the two govern-ments will prevail, the one that speaks thelanguage of numbers and which does notbelieve in marketing the impossible becauseit is ordinary people who will pay for therepercussions, or the government whichbelieves that time constraints alone maydelay continuing its impossible policies.

Certainly the housing conference was astep in the right direction. The principle is tobe frank with people, telling them with solidfigures that continuing an error with well-known disastrous consequences is an unfor-givable sin. That does not mean cancellationof housing welfare, especially with the insanerise of land prices, but the creation of a phi-losophy of sustainable housing. But Kuwait’seternal problem remains that the solutiondoes not come by correct or even the accu-rate diagnosis, but through managementbased on meeting its requirements. The gov-ernment either does not read reality well ordoes not bother to offer the sacrifice for itsremedy.

Financial and monetary Statistics The Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) stated in

its monthly monetary statistics bulletin forDecember 2013, published on its website,that the balance of the total public debtinstruments has declined by KD 227.7 millionto KD 1527.3 million in the end of December2013 (KD 1755 million in December 2012).Public debt tools consist of Treasury bonds,longer-term, with a balance by KD 1527.3 mil-lion (KD 1,755 million at the end of December2012), and the Treasury bills with “zero bal-ance” (since July 2012). Average interest rate

on Treasury bonds, one year term, was about1 percent (since August 2012). Domesticbanks capture about 98.4 percent of the totalpublic debt tools (around 96 percent at theend of December 2012). Thus, the totaldomestic public debt scores about KD 1527.3million, or about 3 percent of the nominalGDP for 2012, of about KD 51.3 billion.

Kuwait Central Bank bulletin indicates thattotal credit facilities for foreign residentsoffered from local banks amounted toapproximately KD 28.961 billion, approxi-mately 56.2 percent of total assets of localbanks, a noticeable increase by about KD2.164 billion from its amount at the end ofDecember 2012. This value represents agrowth rate of about 8.1 percent in 2013. Thegrowth rates of credit facilities in 2005, 2006,2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012scored approximately 19.9 percent, 26.3 per-cent, 34.8 percent, 17.5 percent, 6.1 percent,0.4 percent, 1.6 percent and 4.6 percentrespectively.

Total personal facilities scored about KD11.282 billion, or about 39 percent of thetotal credit facilities (approximately KD10.055 billion in the end of December 2012),a growth rate by approximately 12.2 percentwhich we should be aware of to avoid repeat-ing that problem of consumer and installedloans. Value of installed loans scored aboutKD 7.031 billion dinars, or 62.3 percent of thetotal personal facilities, for buying stocksabout KD 2.731 billion, or 24.2 percent oftotal personal facilities, and KD 1.159 billionfor consumer loans.

Credit facilities for real estate sectorscored approximately KD 7.601 billion, or26.2 percent of the total (about KD 7.114 bil-lion in the end of December 2012), for tradesector they scored about KD 2.744 billion, or9.5 percent, (about KD 2.475 billion in theend of December 2012) and for financial insti-tutions -excluding banks- KD 1.612 billion, or5.6 percent, (KD 1.857 billion in the end ofDecember 2012).

The bulletin also notes that the totaldeposits in local banks scored some KD36.308 billion, representing approximately70.5 percent of total local banks liabilities,with a marked increase by about KD 2.804billion, from what its amount at the end ofDecember 2012, a growth rate of approxi-mately 8.4 percent. Of these deposits, KD31.251 billion, 86.1 percent, in the compre-hensive definition, including major institu-tions like the public Institution of social secu-rities - excluding the government- belong tothe private sector clients, with KD 28.129 bil-lion, or 90 percent, deposits for private sectorclients and the equivalent of KD 3.122 billionin foreign currencies for private sector clients,too.

The average interest rates on customers’deposits for a term, in both the Kuwaiti dinarand the US dollar compared to the end ofDecember 2012, the bulletin states they con-tinued their decline on the two currencies.The difference however in the difference inthe average interest rates on customers’deposits for a term is in favor of the Kuwaitidinar, in the end of two periods. It scoredapproximately 0.409 points, for one-monthdeposits, about 0.461 for three months’deposits, 0.532, for six month deposits, and0.512 for 12 months. But that difference inthe end of December 2012 was 0.411 pointfor one-month deposits, approximately0.498 points for 3-month deposits, 0.545points for 6 months deposits, and 0.520point for 12-month deposit. The monthlyaverage of the Kuwaiti dinar exchange ratefor December 2013 against the dollar was at282.393 fils, a slight rise of about 0.3 percentvis-a-vis 281.289 fils per one dollar averagefor December 2012.

The Gulf Cooperation Council By 2014, the Gulf Cooperation Council

(GCC) has completed one-third of a century,which is quite long time, during which China,for instance, which was starving and full ofepidemics, with most of its population belowthe abject poverty line, managed to becomethe world’s second-largest global economywith the potential to become the largesteconomy by 2030. During this long era, theGCC does not have any worthy achievement.The Customs Union Agreement has not beenimplemented so far. To cover up the failure,there was a jump to the Common MarketAgreement which was not applied either. Thejump continued to the unified currencywhich failed, too. The ultimate jump was thesudden announcement of the pursuit of aGCC Union which was thwarted by Oman’sthreat to withdraw from the Council inNovember 2013 if that was discussed in lastDecember’s Summit in Kuwait.

The failure to implement agreements nolonger represents a shock to the citizens or tothose interested in the affairs of the GCC, asfailure has become the rule. But the newdevelopment is the transition from euphoria

of promoting political unity to withdrawingambassadors, ie rupture between countriesadvocating unity. To measure the seriousnessand the danger of the event, it should becompared with the concurrent Ukrainian cri-sis. For the first time, a comparison on a globallevel is made between the 1914 events whichled to World War I and this crisis, though withsome exaggeration. Nevertheless, neitherUkraine, the European Union countries northe United States withdrew their ambassa-dors from Russia, neither did Russia. While inthe Gulf Cooperation Council crisis, threeambassadors were withdrawn from a fourthcountry in an organization of six countries.The excuse was Qatar’s non-implementationof an agreement, which the citizens do notknow its content, after Qatar’s confirmation ofits commitment to the implementation of theconfidential agreement in February 17 meet-ing at Kuwait airport. That anger did not pre-vent the four countries -Qatar and the threeboycotters- from signing the GCC securityagreement. The accusation remained aboutQatar’s destabilization of security in the otherthree countries.

In Europe, a small country in the 19th cen-tury, namely Denmark, with its five million

population was about to stop the EuropeanUnion’s march to the so-called MaastrichtTreaty. A few weeks ago, the smallSwitzerland halted the workers’ free move-ment agreement with the European Union.During this year Scotland may break awayfrom Great Britain and in 2017 Britain mayquit the European Union. The commondenominator among all these events is the“popular referendum”, ie the participationand the will of the people in decision-mak-ing, while the GCC countries moved from aunity wedding to breaking up in four months.In both cases, the people are ignored, asthose who dance to weddings or beat thewar drums are the conferences or summitsalone. In brief, if the security of the GCCcountries is so fragile that it may collapsefrom the works of one Change Academy or aFriday prayer sermon in Qatar, the fragilesecurity is what requires reform. Such phe-nomena -the Academy and Friday sermons-have helped test its failure. But if what is hap-pening is deeper and bigger, people who arethe basis of the country and the target of itssecurity have the right to know and expresstheir opinions. Certainly, monopolizing theannouncement of achievements or wars at

the top of the pyramid will not create coun-tries or successful cooperation organizations.These notions have become obsolete withthe fall of Stalinism. The GCC countriesshould be aware of that fact. Achievementscan be accomplished to countries throughtheir entire population, but an individualdecision is enough to cause calamities. Theglobal financial crisis has demonstrated thatthe most serious enemy of stability and con-struction is the dominance of uncertainty.Jumping from joy to severance within theGCC organization creates an environment fullof a sense of uncertainty and loss of confi-dence.

The Weekly Performance of KSE The per formance of Kuwait Stock

Exchange (KSE) for the last week was mixed,as the traded value index, the traded volumeindex and the transactions index showed adecrease, while the general index showed anincrease. Al-Shall Index (value index) closedat 458.2 points at the closing of last Thursday,showing an increase of about 0.3 points orabout 0.1 percent comparing to last weekand an increase of 3.5 points or about 0.8percent compared with the end of 2013.

Housing conference spotlights policy flaws

B U S I N E S SSUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

KUWAIT: In a quest to find the vehiclesbest suited for families, Kelley Blue Bookeditors collaborated with real families totest an array of vehicles including anythingfrom sedans to minivans in the US.

Two Chevrolets made their way intoKBB.com’s 12 Best Family Cars of 2014 rec-ommended list, the Chevrolet Traversemidsize SUV and the Impala brand’s newflagship sedan.

“We designed the Chevrolet Traverseand Impala precisely to offer a wide suite ofuseful family-friendly features,” said RussClark, Chevrolet director of marketing. “It isgood to see that KBB.com and the cus-tomers they surveyed agree.”

Nominees were chosen specifically forexcellence in safety, comfort, driving per-formance, room for child seats, cargo spaceand other family-friendly features. TheKBB.com expert editors started with 21vehicles top-ranked in their Expert Ratingsin various family-friendly categories andenlisted the help of several families to thor-oughly test these family haulers. KBB.com

editors then recorded the results and feed-back to select the winners.

The 2014 Chevrolet Traverse is packedwith the family-friendly features. A roomyvehicle that maintains a car-like ride,Traverse offers families a standard threerows of seating on all models, flexible seat-ing configurations, class-leading peopleand cargo-carrying capacity, plus enter-tainment features geared toward families.It also features the industry’s first front cen-ter side air bag, which is designed to pro-vide added protection for both front occu-pants.

The 2014 Impala, Chevrolet’s full-sizeflagship sedan boasts a spacious refinedinterior and the new levels of comfort andtechnology including new generation ofMyLink infotainment system and10 stan-dard air bags.

Both vehicles offer a host of availablesafety technologies such as forward colli-sion alert, lane departure warning, sideblind zone alert, rear cross traffic alert, rearcamera and rear-park assist.

Chevrolet Traverse andImpala among KBB.com 12

best family cars of 2014

DUBAI: The Product of the Year 2014 awards, which hascarved a niche for itself in 42 countries across the globe,were handed over to a bevy of leading brands fromacross the GCC countries at a glittering awards ceremo-ny held last night.

Recognizing excellence in innovation through anindependent process, the awards - which were handedover in a glittering ceremony at the Meydan Beach,Jumeirah Beach Residence in Dubai - is the only one-of-its-kind that is voted 100% by consumers themselves.

Conducted by market research partner TNS, theProduct of the Year Middle East award involves a GCCand region-wide consumer survey involving face-to-face interviews with 3,600 households on the percep-tion of various new products that have been launchedin the GCC market - not only in FMCG but also otherindustries such as electronics and vision care.

The Product of the Year award is selected by an inde-pendent jury which vets the consumers’ choices andmanages the entire process in a transparent and secureenvironment. The jury, which includes representativesfrom The Dubai Chamber, The French Business Council,The Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting and theAmerican University of Sharjah among oth-ers , closely studies the various entries, fills out a multi-ple choice questionnaire and finalizes the participants’list.

Dory Kfoury, CEO - Middle East and Africa for Productof the Year, said: “Congratulations to all the winners ofthe Product of the Year 2014 awards, and this recogni-tion is a major endorsement for all the winning brandsby the consumers. The Product of the Year is the world’slargest consumer-voted program that recognizes inno-vation in consumer packaged goods. With its success inthe GCC region since last year, the award has received amajor thumbs-up from companies as it is voted by con-sumers. We sincerely thank all our partners, and in par-ticular TNS for their survey and support in this journey.”

Partners for this year include GN Broadcasting,Rotana, Gulf Marketing Review, TNS ,Traffik 360 forbelow the line advertising, INTO All Marketing Solutionsand Integral Shopper for their marketing support.

The Product of the Year awards has been recentlyintroduced in Russia, Malaysia and South Korea. Japanand Tunisia will launch their first edition in 2014.

“Each year 24,000 new products are launched on themarket in the consumer goods arena worldwide, only10% of them succeed to stay on shelf for 3 years andless than 40% of them manage to stay in the marketbeyond 5 years,” says Carla El-Saghir , Gulf AreaManager. “The Product of the Year Middle East awardserves as a shortcut for the shoppers in the supermarketmaking their product choice easier in a sea of endlessoptions. For manufacturers of the winning products, thePOY recognition is a powerful marketing messageproven to increase product trial, awareness, distributionand sales.” Globally, POY has been working with over100 multinationals and a number of local and regionalcompanies and invites companies from all sectors tosubmit their entries: Health and Beauty, Food andBeverage, Electronics and Technology and Travel.

Below is the full list of 2014 ‘s winners: Biofinity Family (Vision Care) . Nude Audio Move

Portable Wireless Speakers (Portable Speakers).Oral-B Triumph 5000 with SmartGuide (Oralcare) .

Philips ActiveCare Jojoba Straightener (Hair Appliances). Braun Silk-epil SkinSpa (Hair Removal solutions) .Philips Beardtrimmer Series 9000 (Male Grooming) .Sensodyne Complete Protection (Toothpaste) . NiveaMen Originals Range (Men’s Skincare). Garnier Light OilControl (Whitening Facecare) . Maybelline New York TheColossal Kajal (Make Up). Nivea Stress ProtectDeodorants (Deodorants for women) . Carefree PlusLarge + Aloe 48s (Feminine Care) . Nivea In-ShowerBody Lotions (Body Moisturiser) . Pantene MilkyDamage Shampoo, Conditioner and Oil ReplacementRange (Haircare Range) . Excellence Creme (HairColourants) . Tresemme Hair Care Range (ProfessionalHaircare & Styling). Head & Shoulders Itchy Scalp CareAnti-Dandruff Shampoo and Conditioner (Anti-DandruffHaircare) . Nivea Men Shower Gels (Men’s Shower Care) .LUX Soft Touch Shower Gel (Skin Cleansing) . Johnson’sBaby No More Tangles Little People’s Hair Care range(Babycare) . Milupa Aptamil Junior (Baby Nutrition) .Pampers Premium Care (Baby Diapers) . KleenexArabesque Facial Tissue Bundle (Premium Facial Tissues). Sanita Sufra Matwiya Poly Ethylene Table Covers(Disposable Tableware) . Kleenex Classiq Facial TissueBundle (Classic Facial Tissues) . Air Wick Aoud Passions(Home Fragrances) . Fairy Platinum (Dishcare) . ArielCapsule (Laundrycare) . Afia Corn Oil (Cooking Oil) . RioMare Salatuna Beans Recipe (Canned Tuna) . NatureValley Oats & Chocolate (Snack Bar) . London DairyCrispy Chocolate Espresso (Ice Cream) . KRAFT CheddarCheese - New Easy to Use Cans (Cheese) . Lipton ChaiLatte Foamy (Hot Beverages).

‘Product of The Year Gulf 2014’ awards honor innovation among GCC brands

Zain Saudi winsMiddle East

Telecoms Dealof Year 2013

KUWAIT: Zain Group, a pioneer in mobile telecommunica-tions across eight markets in the Middle East and NorthAfrica is proud to announce that its operation in SaudiArabia has been singled out as the recipient of the MiddleEast Telecoms Deal of the Year 2013 for having closed twofacilities, namely a SAR 8.63 billion ($2.3 billion) Murabahafacility in July 2013 and a SAR 2.25 billion ($600 million)facility in June 2013.

At a ceremony held in Dubai last week, reputable UK-based ProjectFinance magazine awarded the prestigiousaccolade to Zain KSA in acknowledgement of its renegoti-ation of two facilities to finance a network expansion thatwas originally set to mature in 2012.

The amended SAR 8.63 billion limited-recourse facility,which went on to become the largest pure commercialbank deal in Saudi Arabia in 2013, has a tenor of five yearsto July 31, 2018, and was restructured as an amortizingfacility, 25 percent of which will be due during years 4 and5 of the life of the facility, with 75 percent due at maturity.Moreover, the new Murabaha facility arrangement carriesa decreased profit margin by around 18 percent (equiva-lent to 75 basis points) compared to the previous agree-ment, with the possibility for further reduction in line withthe improving credit metrics.

Commenting on the recognition of the deal byProjectFinance magazine, Scott Gegenheimer, Zain GroupCEO said, “Zain Group remains totally committed to sup-porting its operation in Saudi Arabia, and we are proud tosee the company recognized for its financial arrange-ments. We are confident that the transformation of ZainKSA will make this mobile operation a highly successfulplayer in the Saudi telecom market and a healthy contrib-utor to the Group’s overall operations.”

Zain KSA CEO, Hassan Kabbani said: “The resoundingsupport of a broad base of local and international financialinstitutions in these facilities is a confirmation of the bank-ing community’s confidence in the company.”

Furthermore, Kabbani noted, “2013 was a significantyear for Zain KSA as we were able to conclude a number ofsignificant financial transactions that helped free up cash-flow, improve our financial situation, and position usstrongly to contend with the future development of our4G LTE network and the rollout of customer enhancingservices in the years to come.”

Apart from the two financial transactions acknowl-edged in this award, Zain KSA’s cash-flow position was alsoenhanced in 2013 by the Kingdom’s Ministry of Finance(MOF) sanction of a seven-year deferment of annual duesand other obligations, allowing for the postponement ofpayments totalling $1.5 billion to the MOF until 2021.

Prior to closing on the Murabaha facility, Zain KSA hadpartially repaid the prior facility by an amount of US$ 100million, utilizing a portion of its internal cash resources.The company’s financial progress is in line with the overallpositive momentum being enjoyed at Zain KSA, which hasresulted in the heightening of its performance as it followsa strategy of operational excellence, better customerexperience, and greater brand alignment.

On the $2.3 billion Murabaha facility, the bookrunnerswere Al-Rajhi Bank (ARB), Arab National Bank (ANB),Banque Saudi Fransi (BSF) and Credit Agricole CIB (CACIB).The Mandated Lead Arrangers were ARB, ANB, BSF,Boubyan Bank, CACIB, Gulf Bank (Kuwait), National Bank ofKuwait (NBK) and Saudi British Bank. On the $600 millionfacility, four banks provided the loan - Arab National Bank,Banque Saudi Fransi, Gulf International Bank and SambaFinancial Group. The legal firms that supported Zain andthe financial institutions in these transactions includedClifford Chance, Latham & Watkins and Allen & Overy.

ABU DHABI: Tasweek Real EstateDevelopment and Marketing PJSC, anadvisor and solutions provider servingthe regional real estate markets, con-sidering their performance a surge inthe net profit for 2013 - its fifthstraight year of profit and continuousgrowth makes it worth to serious con-sideration for IPO as the real-estateindustry growth flourishes.

With the mixed-use developmentof Tasweek $250 million portfolio fromresidential, commercial hospitalityand healthcare as also the otherinvestments planned by Tasweek inAbu Dhabi, Dubai and other parts ofthe Gulf, have further accentuated thedepth of the company’s portfolio andits international reach of assets amidstthe increasing confidence in the realestate sector and heightened opti-mism among the investors and buyersin the region.

Masood Al-Awar, CEO of TasweekReal Estate Development andMarketing, said: “As we see an amaz-ing growth period for the real estatesector, we are proud of our achieve-ments so far as one of the leading

players. We expect our performancein 2013 to be of a consistent growthover the last five year, our enviableportfolio of the investment and theencouraging market potential in thereal estate sector is very encouragingof an IPO model as the market growthis very promising”

He added: “Last year, we witnessed

amazing growth across various invest-ments. We are quite bullish to contin-ue this amazing trend in 2014 andachieve even greater heights with ourpartners, stakeholders and our cus-tomers in this growth march.”

Al-Awar added: “Amidst this posi-tive growth trajectory, we shall drawfrom our commitment to accountabili-ty, integrity and professionalism toachieve another year of growth andvision. We expect a lot of investmentacross other business sectors as well -more so with the Expo 2020 win,which will bring in more capital inflowinto the UAE and overall augurs wellfor our growth.”

The impressive results comesamidst a study by Tasweek whichrevealed that the real estate industryoffers amazing returns on investmentsbetween 9 percent and 12 percent perannum in the short and long-term.Tasweek Real Estate Development andMarketing has been showcasing itstwo core competencies of networkingand extensive market knowledge as itcontinues its expansion into the inter-national markets.

Tasweek 2013 profits on strong growth threshold

Masood Al-Awar

t e c hnolo g ySUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

HANOVER: Internet users may before long have asecure solution to the modern plague of passwords,in which they can use visual patterns or even theirown body parts to identify themselves. Developersat the world’s biggest high-tech fair, CeBIT, say thatone of the biggest frustrations of having a smart-phone and a computer is memorizing dozens of suf-ficiently airtight passwords for all their devices andaccounts. “The problem of passwords is that they arevery weak, they are always getting hacked, and alsofrom a user point of view, they are too complicated,everybody has 20, 30, 60 passwords,” said StevenHope, managing director of Winfrasoft from Britain,the fair’s guest country this year.

“They all have to be different, no one can remem-ber them, so everybody writes them down or resetsthem every time they log in. They don’t work in thereal world today.” Passwords have proliferated so

much that it’s a daily struggle for users to cope withso many of them. And as millions of Internet usershave learned the hard way, no password is safe whenhackers can net them en masse from banks, emailservices, retailers or social media websites that fail tofully protect their servers. Many simply throw in thetowel and use no-brainer codes like “123456” and“password”-which are still the most common despitehow easily they can be cracked, CeBIT spokesmanHartwig von Sass said at the event in the northernGerman city of Hanover.

In response to the vulnerabilities and hassles ofthe antiquated username-and-password formula,Winfrasoft has developed an alternative based on afour-color grid with numbers inside that resembles aSudoku puzzle. Users select a pattern on the grid astheir “password” and because the numbers inside theboxes change once per minute, the code changes

too, making it far harder to hack. “There is no wayanybody could see which numbers you are lookingat. You see typing numbers but you don’t know whatthe pattern is because each number is here six times,”Hope said during a demonstration.

Backup from body partsBiometric data offers another alternative to seas

of numbers, letters and symbols. US giant Apple hasalready equipped its latest generation iPhone with afingerprint reader to boost its security profile. But agroup of European hackers, the Hamburg-basedChaos Computer Club, demonstrated that the sys-tem could be pirated using a sophisticated “fake” fin-gerprint made of latex. Japan’s Fujitsu turned to theother end of the hand and has developed an identifi-cation system based on each person’s unique veinpattern. At its CeBIT stand, the company was show-

ing off its PalmSecure technology on its new ultra-light laptop computer which has a small sensor builtin. Meanwhile Swiss firm KeyLemon has developed aface recognition system using a webcam.

The computer registers parts of the face, “the eyes,the eyebrows, the shape of your nose, your cheek-bones, the chin...” a company spokesman said. Theperson must then only sit in front of the screen to berecognized and gain access to the computer. The sys-tem, already used by some three million peopleaccording to the company, still has a few kinks how-ever so users must remember to take off their eye-glasses, for example, or have consistent lighting inorder to pass the identity test. “Face recognition andfingerprint recognition are additional safety securityfeatures, they will never have only face recognition orfingerprint recognition” but rather use them as a cru-cial backup to passwords, he said. — AFP

Move over ‘123456’: passwords go high-tech too

WASHINGTON: Faced with the ongoing exit ofAmerican troops from Afghanistan, the top USaid agency wants to step up its use of smart-phones, satellite imagery and GPS cameras tooversee tax-funded development projects thataid workers no longer will be able to observewith their own eyes. The US Agency forInternational Development on Saturday beganseeking bids on a new monitoring project con-tract, which could cost up to $170 million. Theagency hopes the five-year project will allow aidwork to continue in Afghanistan despite thetroop drawdown and satisfy lawmakers and oth-ers who have criticized it for weak monitoring.

Unless security improves significantly,Afghans hired by USAID contractors will increas-ingly be on the front line of overseeing USAID’slargest single-country program. “As the US pre-pares to have a smaller military footprint, it couldbecome increasingly challenging for us to do ourdirect monitoring and have U.S. employees onthe ground looking at things,” Mark Feierstein,associate administrator for USAID, said in aninterview this week at USAID’s headquarters inWashington. “We are going to try to do whateveroversight we can with USAID employees,”Feierstein said. “If we conclude that even with thebest technology we just can’t have eyes and earsthere, we just won’t do the project.”

Since 2001, USAID has spent $12 billion ondevelopment projects in Afghanistan, and mil-lions more will pour into the country in comingyears. USAID-funded projects are monitored byaid workers, contractors, other US governmentemployees, USAID’s own inspector general, theGovernment Accountability Office, the Afghangovernment and civil organizations, and theoffice of Special Inspector General forAfghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR. The newmonitoring project contract going out for bidaims to enhance oversight by combining theseexisting monitoring techniques with stepped upuse of high-tech tools, which USAID has alreadyused in Afghanistan and other hard-to-accesscountries, such as Pakistan, Yemen, Iraq and cer-tain areas of Colombia.

The tools include satellite imagery, camerasthat take photos with the time, date and GPScoordinates, and cellphones that can be used tocollect data and conduct informal public opinionsurveys. Typically, Afghans are hired to go to proj-ect sites and collect information useful in moni-toring the work - a job that can put them in dan-ger if they are seen by insurgents fighting

America’s presence in Afghanistan. The draw-down of forces and further restricted movementof US civilian workers in Afghanistan has alarmedSen Claire McCaskill, D-Mo, who has long criti-cized waste and fraud in US reconstruction proj-ects in the war-torn country. At a Senate hearingearlier this week, McCaskill noted that SIGAR pre-dicts that soon no more than 21 percent ofAfghanistan will be accessible to US civilian over-sight personnel.

“Now that’s a 47 percent reduction since2009,” McCaskill said. “We had eyes and ears onthe majority of Afghanistan during a time periodthat ... billions of dollars of American taxpayermoney was being spent to build things. We’reonly going to have eyes and ears in 21 percent ofthe country.” In its most recent quarterly report,SIGAR also expressed deep concern that over-sight could suffer. “As the US drawdown contin-ues, implementing agencies and oversight bod-ies will have far less visibility over the reconstruc-tion programs than in the past,” it said in thereport issued in January.

In a letter to US officials late last year, JohnSopko, the special inspector general forAfghanistan reconstruction, said access hadalready become an issue. He noted that in 2013

SIGAR was unable to visit $72 million in infra-structure projects in northern Afghanistanbecause they were in areas that could not bereached by US civilian employees. Sopko said fivezones, encircling many of the highest-populatedcities in the country, have been identified as hav-ing “possible oversight access.” He said US mili-tary officials have told SIGAR that “requests tovisit a reconstruction site outside of these over-sight bubbles will probably be denied.” US mili-tary officials also have told SIGAR that they willprovide civilian access only to areas within a 30-minute trip of an advanced medical facility, hewrote.

In his letter, Sopko acknowledged USAID’swork to use third-party monitors to oversee con-struction sites and said the State Departmentwas looking at ways to expand access by periodi-cally moving emergency medical and securityforces to the edges of the oversight bubbles.“Even if these alternative means are used to over-see reconstruction sites, direct oversight ofreconstruction programs in much of Afghanistanwill become prohibitively hazardous or impossi-ble as US military units are withdrawn, coalitionbases are closed and civilian reconstructionoffices in the field are closed,” he wrote. — AP

US goes high-tech to help

oversee Afghan aid workAid agency steps up use of smartphones, GPS cameras

WASHINGTON: Mark Feierstein, associate administrator for the US Agency for InternationalDevelopment, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. — AP

DUBAI: Canon Middle East, a leader in imagingsolutions, has been recognized for ‘BestEnvironmental Practices in the Arab World’ andwas the only private sector organization grantedthe award by the Arab Organization for SocialResponsibility, honoring Canon’s commitment tocorporate social responsibility (CSR) across allaspects of business operations. At the annualaward ceremony Canon was also presented a‘Certificate of Excellence,’ acknowledgingachievements in developing and implementedstrategies that contribute to social developmentand environment protection.

Promoting the importance of corporateaccountability, businesses are encouraged bythe Arab Organization for Social Responsibilityto align their regional CSR policies with interna-tional standards of social responsibility. Anurag

Agrawal, Managing Director, Canon Middle Eastsaid: “We are truly honoured to be recognized inthe private sector for best environmental prac-tices by the Arab Organization for SocialResponsibility. At Canon Middle East we arecommitted to integrating our global philosophyof Kyosei, the purpose of living and workingtogether for the common good, into our every-day activities and giving back to the communi-ties that we operate in.

“We believe in conducting business responsi-bly and strive to ensure sustainable economicgrowth, delivering value for customers andstakeholders, while supporting Canon’s globalCSR efforts and spearheading local initiativesthat are core to our EMEA wide business.” CanonMiddle East continues to invest heavily in sus-tainable best practices. In addition to being

awarded the Dubai Chamber CSR Label in 2012and 2013, the company was also recertified in2013 to ISO 14001 Environmental ManagementStandard.

Canon Middle East supports the EmiratesEnvironmental Group in their initiatives as cor-porate members and has two key strategic part-nerships with WWF: with WWF Internationalsince 1998 as their conservation imaging part-ner, and the EWS-WWF locally. Globally, CanonInc. earned the highest ranking among Japanesecompanies in the 2013 Climate Counts corporateemissions performance study at fourth place.Canon is also ranked 8th in the World’s MostReputable Companies (2013), 30th onInterbrand’s 2013 Best Global Green Brands andits score on the Climate Counts scorecard is66/100.

Canon Middle East awarded for

Best Environmental Practices

Associated Press Technology Writer Barbara Ortutay poses wearing Google Glass inNew York. — AP

NEW YORK: Shaped like a lopsided head-band, Google Glass is an unassuming pieceof technology when you’re holding it inyour hands. You feel as if you can almostbreak it, testing its flexibility. Putting it on,though, is another story. Once you do, thisInternet-connected eyewear takes on a lifeof its own. You become “ The PersonWearing Google Glass” and all the assump-tions that brings with it -about your wealth,boorishness or curiosity. Such is the fate ofearly adopters of new technologies,whether it’s the Sony Walkman, the firstiPod with its conspicuous white earbuds, orthe Segway scooter.

Google calls the people who wear Glass“explorers,” because the device is not yetavailable to the general public. With its$1,500 price tag, the device is far from hav-ing mass appeal. At the South BySouthwest Interactive tech jamboree inAustin this week, I counted fewer than adozen people wearing it, including tech-nology blogger Robert Scoble, who isn’tshy about posting pictures of himself in theshower, red-faced, water running, wearingthe device.

Google, like most successful technologycompanies, dreamers and inventors, likesto take a long view on things. It calls someof its most outlandish projects “moonshots.”Besides Glass, these include its driverlesscar, balloons that deliver Internet service toremote parts of the world and contact lens-es that monitor glucose levels in diabetics.There’s an inherent risk in moonshots, how-ever: What if you never reach the moon?Ten years from now, we may look back atGoogle Glass as one of those short-livedbridges that takes us from one technologi-cal breakthrough to the next, just aspagers, MP3 players and personal digitalassistants paved the way for the era of thesmartphone.

Fitness bands, too, may fit into this cate-gory. In its current, early version, GoogleGlass feels bulky on my face and when Ilook in the mirror I see a futuristic telemar-keter looking back at me. Wearing it on thesubway while a homeless man shuffledthrough the car begging for change mademe feel as if I was sporting a diamond tiara.I sank lower in my seat as he passed. IfGoogle is aiming for mass appeal, the next

versions of Glass have to be much smallerand less conspicuous.

Though no one knows for sure wherewearable devices will lead us, RodrigoMartinez, life sciences chief strategist at theSilicon Valley design firm IDEO, has someideas. “The reason we are talking aboutwearables is because we are not atimplantables yet,” he says. “(But) I’m ready.Others are ready.” Nevermind implants, I’mnot sure I’m even ready for Google Glass.Specs in place for the first time, I walkedout of Google’s Manhattan showroom on arecent Friday afternoon with a sense ofunease. A wave of questions washed overme. Why is everyone looking at me? ShouldI be looking at them? Should I have chosenthe orange Glass instead of charcoal?

Ideally, Google Glass lets you do manyof the things we now do with our smart-phones, such as taking photos, readingnews headlines or talking to our motherson Sunday evenings - hands-free. But itcomes with a bit of baggage. Glass feelsheavier when I’m out in public or in a groupwhere I’m the only person wearing it. If Ithink about it long enough my face startsburning from embarrassment. The devicehas been described to me as “the scarletletter of technology” by a friend. The mostfrequent response I get from my husbandwhen I try to slip Glass on in his presence is“please take that off.” This is the same hus-band who encouraged me to buy a sweatercovered in googly-eyed cats.

Instead of looking at the world througha new lens on a crowded rush-hour side-walk. I felt as if the whole world was look-ing at me. That’s no small feat in New York,where even celebrities are afforded a senseof privacy and where making eye contactwith strangers can amount to an entireconversation. But that’s just one side ofwearing Google Glass. The other side isexhilarating. Glass is getting some badpress lately. Some bars and coffee shops inSilicon Valley and Seattle have bannedGoogle Glass, for example, and federalauthorities in Ohio interrogated a man ear-lier this year after he was suspected ofrecording a movie with the device. Lastmonth, Google put out a Glass etiquetteguide that includes the appeal “don’t becreepy or rude.” — AP

Uneasy first steps

with Google Glass

TOKYO: Japan has vowed to fight indus-trial espionage after domestic mediareported technology and informationfrom local companies, including chip-maker Toshiba Corp, had been leaked torivals from other countries. “SafeguardingJapan’s cutting-edge technology andpreventing leaks are extremely impor-tant,” Chief Cabinet Secretary YoshihideSuga told reporters. “The government asa whole will respond to ensure that sucha thing doesn’t occur again.”

Suga declined to discuss specific casesbut several media outlets said police hadarrested a former engineer at a Toshibaaffiliate on suspicion of improperly pro-viding technical data to South Korea’s SKHynix Inc. The Nikkei newspaper alsoreported on Thursday that police hadarrested in 2012 an unspecified numberof people in Yokohama and Aichi foralleged leaks of industrial secrets toChinese companies. Cybersecurity is a

key issue for the government of PrimeMinister Shinzo Abe, which acknowl-edges it cannot adequately protect itsown computers and networks.

The media reports said Tokyo policeare probing the alleged leak of technolo-gy related to Toshiba’s flagship NANDmemory chips. A Toshiba spokesman saidthe company could not comment on thematter while it is the subject of a policeinvestigation. Tokyo police also declinedto comment. A Hynix spokesman said thecompany was checking the report andhad no further comment. NAND memorychips, used to store data in smartphonesand tablets, are a key source of profit forToshiba, whose key competitors in thebusiness include South Korea’s SamsungElectronics Co Ltd and US chipmakerSanDisk Corp. Toshiba’s shares fell 0.9percent on Thursday, compared to the0.1 percent drop in Tokyo’s benchmarkNikkei average. — Reuters

Japan vows to tackle

industrial espionage

H E A LT H & S C I E N C ESUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

WASHINGTON: Scientists have crowd-sourced a network of volunteers takingwater samples at beaches along the USWest Coast in hopes of capturing adetailed look at low levels of radiationdrifting across the ocean since the 2011tsunami that devastated a nuclear powerplant in Japan.

With the risk to public healthextremely low, the effort is more aboutperfecting computer models that willbetter predict chemical and radiationspills in the future than bracing for athreat, researchers say.

Federal agencies are not sampling atthe beach. The state of Oregon is sam-pling, but looking for higher radiationlevels closer to federal health standards,said state health physicist Daryl Leon.Washington stopped looking after earlytesting turned up nothing, saidWashington Department of Healthspokesman Donn Moyer.

The March 2011 tsunami off Japan

flooded the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclearplant, causing radiation-contaminatedwater to spill into the Pacific. Airborneradiation was detected in milk and rain-water in the US soon afterward. Butthings move much more slowly in theocean. “We know there’s contaminatedwater coming out of there, even today,”Ken Buesseler, a senior scientist at theWoods Hole Oceanographic Institutionin Massachusetts, said in a video appeal-ing for volunteers and contributions.

Two modelsIn fact, it is the biggest pulse of

radioactive liquid dropped in the oceanever, he said.

“What we don’t really know is howfast and how much is being transportedacross the Pacific,” he added. “Yes, themodels tell us it will be safe. Yes, the lev-els we expect off the coast of the US andCanada are expected to be low. But weneed measurements, especially now as

the plume begins to arrive along theWest Coast.” In an email from Japan,Buesseler said he hopes the samplingwill go on every two or three months forthe next two to three years.

Two different models have been pub-lished in peer-reviewed scientific jour-nals predicting the spread of radioactiveisotopes of cesium and iodine fromFukushima. One, known as Rossi et al,shows the leading edge of the plume hit-ting the West Coast from southeastAlaska to Southern California by April.The other, known as Behrens et all,shows the plume hitting SoutheastAlaska, British Columbia and Washingtonby March 2016.

The isotopes have been detected atvery low levels at a Canadian samplingpoint far out to sea earlier than the mod-els predicted, but not yet reported at thebeach, said Kathryn A. Higley, head ofthe Department of Nuclear Engineeringand Radiation Health Physics at Oregon

State University. The Rossi model pre-dicts levels a little higher than the falloutfrom nuclear weapons testing in the1960s. The Behrens model predicts lowerlevels like those seen in the ocean in the1990s, after the radiation had decayedand dissipated.

The models predict levels of Cesium137 between 30 and 2 Becquerels percubic meter of seawater by the time theplume reaches the West Coast, Higleysaid. The federal drinking water healthstandard is 7,400 Becquerels per cubicmeter, Leon said. Becquerels are a meas-ure of radioactivity.

The crowdsourcing raised $29,945from 225 people, enough to establishabout 30 sampling sites in Alaska, BritishColumbia, Washington and California,according to Woods Hole. The website sofar has not reported any radiation.

Sara Gamble of Washington state, themother of a young child, raised $500because she thinks it is important to

know what is really going on. WoodsHole sent her a bucket, a funnel, a clip-board, a UPS shipping label, instructionsand a big red plastic container for hersample. She went to Ocean Shores,Washington, a couple of weeks ago, col-lected her sample and shipped it off. Noresults have come back yet. To do anoth-er sample, she will have to raise another$500.

“I got lots of strange looks at thebeach and the UPS Store, because it’slabeled ‘Center for Marine andEnvironmental Radioactivity,’ and it’s abig red bin,” she said. “But it’s funny;nobody would ask me anything out onthe beach. I was like, ‘Aren’t you curious?Don’t you want to ask?’”

Taking the sample has allayed her ini-tial fears, but she still thinks it is impor-tant to know “because it affects ourecosystems, kids love to play in the waterat the beach, and I want to know what’sthere.”—AP

Scientists expect traces of ocean radiation soon

MITHI, Pakistan: As the death toll from the lat-est outbreak of poverty-driven diseases inPakistan’s Thar desert nears 100 children, expertsare warning that corruption and a dysfunctionalpolitical system make a repeat of the disasteralmost inevitable.The desert region inTharparkar, one of Pakistan’s poorest districts,spreads over nearly 20,000 square kilometres inthe country’s southeast and is home to some 1.3million people, including a large population ofminority Hindus.

Between March 2013 and February this year,rainfall was 30 percent below usual, according togovernment data, with the worst-hit towns ofDiplo, Chacro and Islamkot barely touched by adrop of water for months.

Asif Ikram, the second most senior adminis-tration official in the district, said on Thursdaythat the death toll from diseases such as pneu-monia and meningitis since Dec 1 had risen to161 people, including 97 children.

Life in the desert is closely tied to rain-depen-dent crops and animals, with farmers relying onbeans, wheat, and sesame seeds for survival,bartering surplus in exchange for livestock.

The drought is not the only reason for therecent deaths-observers say they have comeabout as a result of endemic poverty, exacerbat-ed by the drought and an outbreak of diseasekilling livestock.

Authorities have been busy dispensing foodaid and sending medics to attend to the sick fol-lowing visits by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif andBilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who leads the PakistanPeople’s Party which rules the province.

But observers say the relief work fails toaddress the root causes of such disasters andwarn they are likely to be repeated.

A drought in the desert in 2000 killed 90 per-cent of the livestock.

Politically invisibleZafar Junejo, chief executive of Thardeep

Rural Development Programme (TRDP), says theregion has long been ignored by Karachi, theprovincial capital, because it is not consideredan important constituency politically.

According to the last census, Hindus make up40 percent of the district’s population, unlikemost of Pakistan which is overwhelminglyMuslim, and Junejo said the authorities have lit-tle concern for the suffering of minority commu-nities. “We are fortunately or unfortunately amixed Hindu and Muslim population,” he said.

“Fortunate because we are living in peaceand harmony unlike the rest of the countrywhere radicalisation is in vogue.

“But also unfortunate because being Hinduand being secular we do not fit in the officialideological definition of the country,” he added.

Javed Jabbar, founder of Banh Beli non-gov-ernment organisation which works in the area,added: “When you have Karachi with 18 millionpeople, Tharparkar is relatively less importantfrom a political radar point of view.”

Jabbar, a former federal information minister,added that the district has fallen victim to “a fail-ure to enforce accountability due to considera-tions of partisanship” that has afflicted theprovince for years.

He cited the case of five doctors in theprovince who were able to keep their jobsdespite being absent from their posts for years,because of connections to political patrons.

Drought ‘manageable’ Residents and activists say the effects of

drought can be mitigated by global lessons indry regions, such as the conservation of rainwa-ter. “Rainwater harvesting should be mademandatory all over the country and especially inthis part,” said Abid Channa, a local socialactivist, complaining of the district’s lack ofreservoirs despite decades of disasters.

Jairam Das, a 49-year livestock farmer wholost 10 sheep and two goats to the recent out-break of animal disease, said he and other vil-lagers were envious of Indian villages just a fewkilometres (miles) away across the border.

“In the bordering town of India there isgreenery all around as their government hasspread a network of irrigation and piped drink-ing water,” Das said.

“We have a similar climate but the lack ofwater is a major hurdle,” Das said.

On the Indian side of the border, the 400-kilo-metre Indira Gandhi canal through the Thardesert in the state of Rajasthan is a lifeline forisolated communities and farmers who use thewater for irrigation for crops and drinking waterwhen needed.

Jabbar, the ex-minister, added more planningwas needed ahead of droughts.

“When you see signs in a particular year, youmove supplies of fodder and nutritional supple-ments in advance of the drought not after it,” hesaid. One positive he noted was the extensivetelevision coverage the disaster had received,thanks to the growth of Pakistan’s media, andthe pressure it had applied on government to nolonger ignore the area. —AFP

Disaster in Pakistan drought region almost inevitable

Relief work fails to address root causes

KARACHI: Pakistani villagers wait to receive relief supplies outside a military camp in Mithi,the capital of Tharparkar district, some 300 km from Karachi. As the death toll from the latestoutbreak of poverty-driven diseases in Pakistan’s Thar desert nears 100 children, experts arewarning that corruption and a dysfunctional political system make a repeat of the disasteralmost inevitable. —AFP

GODEWAERSVELDE: A file picture taken on Sept 28, 2012 shows corn in a field inGodewaersvelde, northern France. The French Ministry of Agriculture banned by anorder published in the Official Journal of marketing the use and cultivation of “MON810”, a variety of genetically modified maize (corn) developed by the US agro-chemi-cals Monsanto Company. — AFP

PARIS: Air pollution that has turned theskies over Paris a murky yellow and shroud-ed much of Belgium for days forced driversto slow down Friday and gave millions afree ride on public transportation.

The belt of smog stretched for hundredsof miles, from France’s Atlantic coast toBelgium and well into Germany. It was theworst air pollution France has seen since2007, the European Environment Agencysaid.

Nearly all of France was under some sortof pollution alert Friday, with levels in theParisian region surpassing some of those inthe world’s most notoriously pollutedcities, including Beijing and Delhi.

To combat the smog, public transitaround Paris and in two other cities wasfree Friday through Sunday. Elsewhere inFrance and in Belgium’s southern Walloniaarea, the free ride was only for Friday.

The smog is particularly severe herebecause France has an unusually highnumber of diesel vehicles, whose nitrogenoxide fumes mix with ammonia fromspringtime fertilizers and form particulateammonium nitrate. Pollutants from theburning of dead leaves and wood con-

tribute as well.One environmental group complained

earlier this week, denouncing the “inertia ofthe government,” saying it was putting livesin danger.

There’s no question that pollution canbe an immediate health hazard, especiallyfor the very young and old and for anyonewith respiratory or cardiac disorders, saidEuropean Environment Agency air qualitymanager Valentin Foltescu.

“Some people will, unfortunately, die,”Foltescu said. “There is a high correlation ofpollution of this kind and mortality.”

Speed limits dropped in France andBelgium and electronic billboards in Parisdispensed advice and emergency informa-tion. But the website that keeps up-to-the-minute figures on the Paris region’s airquality slowed to a crawl and asked visitorsto follow it on Twitter or Facebook ratherthan crash the site.

Foltescu said if everyone follows thegovernment’s advice “you will see aninstant difference.”

If not, he added, the pollution wouldlast about as long as the region’s unseason-ably warm and sunny weather. —AP

Free rides to combatpollution in France, Belgium

WASHINGTON: Next up for “Let’s Move?” Howabout “Let’s Cook.”

Michelle Obama said Friday that a newfocus of her anti-childhood obesity effort willbe to help people cook more of their meals athome because they’re healthier.

Addressing a health summit in Washington,the first lady said home-cooked meals haveless fat, sodium, cholesterol and calories thanmeals prepared in restaurants - and save mon-ey, too.

She said too many people think they don’thave the time or the skills to cook for them-selves, but that plenty of meals can be pulledtogether in less than 30 minutes for cheaperthan takeout.

Michelle began focusing on the nation’schildhood obesity problem as soon as she gotto the White House in 2009. She pledgedFriday to stick with the issue long after she’sgone.

“We cannot walk away from this issue untilobesity rates drop for children of every ageand every background,” she said. “We cannotwalk away until every child in this country hasa shot at a healthy life. And that’s why I’m inthis thing for the long haul, and I mean longafter I leave the White House, because I believein finishing what I start.”

Michelle praised recent federal statisticsshowing a sharp decline in obesity ratesamong children ages 2 to 5 as a small, thoughimportant, achievement, but still not enoughevidence to declare the problem solved. Sheurged everyone to keep working on solutions,especially among older kids.

“Now is not the time to take our foot off thegas and congratulate ourselves on a job welldone,” Michelle said. “Just the opposite. Now isthe time to fight even harder, because we nowknow it is possible to make a difference on thisissue. We know that our strategies are begin-

ning to work.”Her strategy largely has been to cajole food

and beverage makers, retailers, restaurants andothers to make healthier products. Federal leg-islation and regulations are leading to changesin school breakfast and lunch programs, andare expected to bring an updated “NutritionFacts” label to thousands of packaged productsbefore the end of the decade.

Home economics class The promised focus on helping families

adopt healthier habits by doing more cookingat home fits that approach.

In her remarks, the first lady talked aboutworking with supermarkets to distributerecipes and offer cooking demonstrations, withschools to develop the “home economics classof the future” to give students basic cookingskills and with chefs to get them to offeraffordable cooking classes in their restaurants.

She promised announcements of new initia-tives in the coming months.

Michelle said research shows that eatingmeals cooked at home is one of the best waysfamilies can improve their health.

Growing up, she said her mother kept astrict food budget, planned her meals weeklyand shopped for groceries every Saturday.

“The question is ‘How do we help familiesstart cooking again, even if it’s just one or twomeals a week?’” she told the audience of publichealth professionals, nutritionists, corporateleaders and others in the closing address at theconference organized by the Partnership for aHealthier America.

Michelle is honorary chairwoman of thenonprofit organization, which was created inconjunction with “Let’s Move,” her initiativeagainst childhood obesity. The partnershipworks to support the goals of “Let’s Move” andwith businesses to bring then on board and

hold them accountable for the commitmentsthey make to improve the health of Americans.

It so far has more than 70 commitmentsfrom companies of all sizes, said Larry Soler, itsCEO.

Among them was yogurt maker Dannon,which announced Friday that it will beginreducing the amount of sugar and fat in all itsbrands. —AP

‘Cooking at home has its advantages’

WASHINGTON: First lady Michelle Obamaspeaks at the Building a Healthier FutureSummit in Washington, Friday, March 14,2014. The event brings together leaders fromthe private, nonprofit, government and aca-demic sectors to address the childhood obe-sity epidemic.

ANSHUN: Forty years of digging for coal haveleft the miner with tuberculosis and drained hisvillage water supply. But he, like China, clings tothe resource as his economic mother lode. “If Idid farming, it would take me a year to getwhat I make in a month,” said the 55-year-old,surnamed Di and sporting the blackened fin-gernails of someone who has spent most of hisdays beneath the hills of China’s poverty-strick-en Guizhou province. His lungs “don’t hurtmuch”, he said, although in any case he cannotafford treatment. China too has embraced theeconomic benefits of coal despite the threats itposes to health and the environment.

But anger has mounted over the stubbornsmog that regularly cloaks Chinese cities, andauthorities have repeatedly promised actionsince President Xi Jinping took office a yearago. Premier Li Keqiang vowed to “declare waragainst pollution”, speaking Wednesday at theopening of the Communist-controlled NationalPeople’s Congress legislature’s annual session.The government will cap total energy con-sumption, shut 50,000 small coal-fired furnaces,clean up major coal-burning power plants andtake six million high-emission vehicles off theroads, he promised.

Yet in practice, changing course will betough in the face of swelling energy demandand pressure to sustain economic growth,already at its lowest levels since 1999. “Sinceenvironmental issues have become so public-everybody is talking about them, the interna-tional community is talking about them-thegovernment feels the need to deal with envi-ronmental issues more seriously,” said XiaominLiu, a Beijing-based coal expert with the con-sultancy IHS CERA. “They will do a lot of things,but I don’t think that will change things funda-mentally,” he said. “The first priority is still tokeep up economic growth.”

Smog scandalChina uses more energy than any other

country and is responsible for about half the

world’s coal consumption, relying on the fossilfuel for two-thirds of its energy supply. Publicpressure over pollution erupted in January2013 when an “airpocalypse” of smog chokedBeijing, with particulate matter shooting 40times past UN standards and horrifying imagesspreading worldwide. The scandal promptedauthorities to stop burying the problem-citiesand state-controlled media began reporting onair quality, and this year 15,000 factories wererequired to regularly publicize emissions data.Over the past year Beijing has already allocated1.7 trillion yuan ($280 billion) to improve airquality, and pledged to evaluate officials notonly by their economic but also environmentalrecord. Last September it announced tough airpollution limits, called for coal-use cuts in threedensely populated areas, including the capital,and promised to shave nationwide coal con-sumption to 65 percent of total energy by2017. Some of the targets were “ambitious”,sending an important message, said Alvin Lin,the Beijing-based China climate and energypolicy director at the Natural ResourcesDefense Council. “Once you send that signal,then everybody has to try to meet it.” Butimplementation is another matter and evenstricter quotas were still needed, he warned.

Terrible cost Another concern is that wealthier coastal

cities, which have complained about pollutionthe loudest, will simply shift their coal-firedpower-stations and factories to the country’spoorer interior. “Maybe the push is going to bejust to push the dirty coal further west,” saidJennifer Turner, director of the ChinaEnvironment Forum at the Wilson Center inWashington. “It’s the whole NIMBY (not in mybackyard) movement.” Guizhou, in southwest-ern China, has pledged to close half its mines-about 800 - by mid-2014, but this follows abroader trend of shutting small strugglingoperators without necessarily cutting overallproduction. —AFP

Coal miner’s dilemma; Your money or your life

H E A LT H & S C I E N C ESUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

KAB ELIAS, Lebanon: Trapped in hernorthern Syrian village by fighting,Mervat watched her newborn baby pro-gressively shrink. Her daughter’s darkeyes seemed to grow bigger as her facegrew more skeletal. Finally, Mervatescaped to neighboring Lebanon, and anurse told her the girl was starving.

The news devastated her. “They hadto hold me when they told me. I wept,”the 31-year-old mother said, speaking inthe rickety, informal tent camp whereshe now lives with her husband in theeastern Lebanese town of Kab Elias.

Her daughter Shurouk has beenundergoing treatment the past threemonths and remains a wispy thing. The9-month-old weighs 3.2 kg though she’sbecome more smiley and gregarious.Mervat spoke on condition she be identi-fied only by her first name, fearing prob-lems for her family in Syria.

Her case underscored how dramati-cally Syrian society has unraveled from aconflict that this weekend enters itsfourth year. Such stark starvation wasonce rare in Syria, where PresidentBashar Assad’s autocratic state ran ahealth system that provided nearly freecare.

That system, along with most otherstate institutions, has been shattered inmany parts of the country where thefighting between Assad’s forces and therebels trying to overthrow him is raginghardest. The war has killed more than140,000 people and has driven nearly athird of the population of 23 million fromtheir homes - including 4.2 million whoremain inside Syria and 2.5 million whohave fled into neighboring countries.Nearly half those displaced by the warare children. Now aid workers believestarvation cases are increasing inbesieged areas of Syria and malnutritionis spreading among the poorest Syrianrefugees.

Before the conflict, doctors insideSyria would see fewer than one case amonth of a child with life-threateningmalnutrition, now they tell UNICEF theyencounter 10 or more a week, saidJuliette Touma, a Middle East regionalspokesperson for the UN children’sagency.

Food supplies In Lebanon, malnutrition grew from

4.4 percent in 2012 to 5.9 percent ofSyrian refugee children, according to a

recent UNICEF-led survey. In all, an esti-mated 10,000 Syrian children in Lebanonare likely suffering malnutrition, saidDima Ousta of the InternationalOrthodox Christian Charities, an NGOleading efforts to deal with the issue inLebanon. UNICEF said nearly 2,000 wereat risk of dying because of acute malnu-trition if they weren’t immediately treat-ed. A survey in Jordan found that 4 per-cent of Syrian refugee children under fiveneeded treatment for moderate or acutemalnutrition, the World Food Programmesaid on Monday. Touma said UNICEF hadnot yet finished surveys for refugees inTurkey or inside Syria itself.

Malnutrition is the product of a seriesof ever-widening and interconnectedproblems.

Within Syria, fighting in the worst hitareas can limit access to food suppliesand health care for children. There andamong refugees, children are vulnerableto diarrhea and other illnesses fromdrinking dirty water or being exposed tosewage. Those conditions can exacerbatemalnutrition and, in turn, malnourishedchildren are less resistant to disease.

Social factors also play in. Rural Syrianwomen tend to marry as teenagers and

rely on their mothers or other relatives tohelp in child-rearing. But as refugees,many lose that support network andwithout guidance don’t know how toproperly breastfeed their children -bringing a risk of malnutrition. Asrefugees run out of money and struggleto find work, many mothers don’t haveenough to buy supplementary food.

Running waterThe poverty and poor hygienic living

conditions at the root of the problem arelikely only to worsen as Syria’s war dragson. “Malnutrition is not an issue relatedto food. It’s a health issue,” said ZeroualAzzeddine of UNICEF. In Lebanon, nearlyone million Syrians are registered asrefugees by the UN refugee agency. Thepoorest 140,000 live in 460 informalcamps, where they live in poorly insulat-ed tents with no clean running water andwith sewage running down ditchesbetween tents.

Aid workers are trying to track downthe thousands of malnourished childrenthey believe are in Lebanon. “We need tofind these children,” said Ousta, whoseorganization treated 170 cases sinceAugust.

UNICEF is training doctors to identifymalnutrition among Syrian childrenundergoing immunizations and othermedical checks. The doctors weigh chil-dren, measure their upper-arm circum-

ference and check their feet for waterretention that can be a sign of acute mal-nutrition. They are on alert for motherswho say their babies are always tired,another signal.— AP

Malnutrition grows among Syrian refugee children Conflict enters its fourth year

BEIRUT: Syrian refugee Mohammed Sammor, 3, receives vaccinationagainst polio from Dr Mohammed Anboushi at a medical clinic in the townof Kab Elias in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. —AP

W H AT ’ S ONSUNDAY, MARCH 16 , 2014

SEND US YOURINSTAGRAM PICS

What’s more fun than clicking a beautifulpicture? Sharing it with others! Let oth-er people see the way you see Kuwait -

through your lens. Friday Times will featuresnapshots of Kuwait through Instagram feeds. Ifyou want to share your Instagram photos, emailus at

instagram@kuwaittimes.net

Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

Write to us

National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) organized a special open day for its staff and theirfamily members and friends at Boubyan Club. NBK employees and their fami-lies enjoyed the open day that was filled with all types of activities and enter-

tainment. The weather was nice and excitement filled the air as children, and evenparents, took part in the many fun activities available there. The open day event pro-vided a unique opportunity for NBK employees to openly mingle and enjoy variousentertaining activities.

NBK families enjoy fun-filled open day at Boubyan Club

Caesars Holidays wins best performer awards

Caesars Holidays won the prestigiousawards in recognition of its best per-formance for 2013 from the leading

cruise companies, MSC Cruises, CostaCruises and the world’s leading wholesaleTour Operator, Cox & Kings. CaesarsHolidays, one of the leading subsidiaries ofCaesars Travel Group currently representingworld’s leading wholesale Tour Operators-Cox & Kings, World Travel Services (WTS),Ottila International, Ezeego, World’s leadingcruise companies-NCL, Star, Costa, MSC,Silversea, Crystal and recently appointed forRail Europe. Indian Railways Catering &Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is already rep-resented by Caesars Holidays which is oneof the prestigious products under theGovernment of India. “These awards are theprimary benchmarking tool for passengersatisfaction levels towards our representedbrands, based on the analysis of our busi-ness generated. Caesars Holidays has posi-tioned itself as a top holiday office inKuwait, having diversified tourism productsalong with excellent facilities for customersthrough our state of art offices which givesthem a wide range of options for thetourism” said PNJ Kumar, Chief ExecutiveOfficer of Caesars Travel Group.

The company’s aim is to expand its serv-ices to other GCC countries very soon, espe-cially to Doha and Muscat, to expand itsglobal awareness, increase relations withlocal, regional, and international trade part-ners, explores new sales channels, andembarks on marketing initiatives and part-nerships for customers for global leisureand entertainment destinations. We areencouraging our passengers/guests toexplore, discover, pass on their good experi-

ences, bring good will and help to developpositive reputations in the tourism industry.Caesars Holidays is one of the largest holi-day companies in Kuwait, offering diversi-fied activities under one umbrella throughmany of their outlets across the country. Anew addition has recently launched as“hotelsglobe.com” - an exclusive and dedi-cated B2B set-up, offering thetravel/tourism trade a unique tool for theirtourism requirements.

Commenting on these awards,Vivekkumar Shetty, Head of Sales &Operations-Caesars Holidays said “It is ourprivilege and honor to receive these covet-ed awards and look forward to winningmany more such accolades in future. We areproud of our staff members, who haveworked very hard to achieve this feat.Winning this prestigious award has motivat-ed them to strive harder to achieve thehighest possible standards of quality, per-formance and business excellence. We lookforward our valued clients support as webelieve, this is the only appreciation that wewould be able to go further”

Cruise Center is the only dedicated officein Kuwait for promoting various internation-al leading cruise brands. While taking theaward, the head of Cruise Center and CruiseSpecialist, Thomas said, “we will continue tooffer an exciting selection of worldwide itin-eraries as Cruise Center is representing mostof the world’s leading brands. OurMediterranean cruises are a melting pot ofdifferent nationalities as the unique andMediterranean way of life that our travelersenjoy on board attracts to all cruise lovers inKuwait. Since Cruise centre’s inception inKuwait, we have seen a surge in luxury

cruise industry interest in Kuwait with majorEuropean and other international luxurycruise-liners and Cruise center gives themthe best options as we have in our productlist, the leading luxury cruises like Crystaland Silver Sea. In brief, in cooperation withour leading cruise strategic partners, CruiseCenter offers a myriad of cruising choicesunder one roof”.

Cox & Kings is the longest establishedtravel company in the world. The Cox &Kings tour network covers Europe, Asia, theMiddle East, Latin America, Africa, Australia

and New Zealand. Tours range from luxuryto adventure, and generally last for between8 and 22 days. Cox & Kings’ experience andrelationships within the travel industry havegiven the company great buying power,translating into highly competitive rates forall tours. While receiving the award fromCox & Kings, Bibin Suresh, MarketingManager of Cox & Kings said, “We focus ondestinations through C&K that will help usto showcase our high standards in productand service to a mixed audience of regionaland international travelers. With each

region, C&K offers the full spectrum of theirbranded itineraries in line with the marketdynamics and customer choice will deter-mine the most appropriate brand.Customer service is of critical importancefor the tourism and hospitality sector nowmore than ever before as customers arelooking to increase value for money desti-nation packages and always C&K offersthem the right tour destinations with anexcellent service on board”.

(Left to right) Shallu Sunny, Bibin Suresh, PNJ Kumar, CEO - Caesars Travel Group alongwith Tushar Shinde, Business Head - NRI, Cox & Kings during the award ceremony.

Vivek Kumar Shetty-Head of Sales &Operations-Caesars Holidays

UCK organizes ‘Mehfil-e-Mushaira’

“Mehfil-e-Mushaira” organized by UCK - UrduCommunity of Kuwait, was held at SalmiyaIndian Model School (SIMS) Kuwait in which

renowned poets from India participated and enthralledthe audience with their thought provoking poetic works.The mushaira was presided over by senior poet and prideof Urdu Mohammed Umair Baig - Senior Scientist - KISR, DrWaseem Siddiqi - KOC, Hasan Kidwai, Tazeen Kidwai, asocial worker, Shailendra Srivastava - Director Growmore,Sharif Rangrez - Managing Director -Eternity Travel, SalmanSiddiqui - Universal group, Anjum Fatima - AnnouncerRadio Kuwait, Tariq Aziz-KOC -Arif Kazi-ankaar, SreenathArts and Devender Singh - Sales Manager Qatar Airwayswho is actively serving the cause of Urdu language inKuwait and in India. The UCK Community membersMohammad Aamir, Sanjay Kumar Saxena, Usama Farukiand Suhail Shaikh Ahamed effort and hard work made thisevent a grand success. The proceedings of the Mushairawere conducted by famous poet Nadeem Farrukh. Ninewell known poets Dr Naseem Nikhat, Iqbal Ashhar, DrNadeem Shaad, Dr Majid Deobandi, Nadeem Nayyar,Usman Minai, Shaista Sana, Nadeem Farrukh and AfrozAlam who presented their wonderful poetry.

It was after a long time that such a grand nushaira washeld in Kuwait City for which the audience appreciated theefforts of the UCK. The mushaira was inaugurated by

Ambassador of India Sunil Jain (Embassy of Kuwait),Usman Siddiqui President UCK and Mohammad Aamirevent manager who welcomed the guests and invited par-ticipating poets.

The chief guest of the evening was Ambassador of IndiaSunil Jain. There was plenty of activity for audience toenjoy. Everybody had a good time, the stage was set byAfroz Alam, poet and writer who gave the warm introduc-tion and invited all of them to start the program. Earlier,President Usman Siddiqui welcomed the participating

poets and briefly dwelt on the activities of the UCK.This memorable and historical poetry recitation was

attended by local poets of the Indian and PakistaniCommunity. A special vote of thanks to all our sponsors. Al-Sayer Group, Eternity Int’l Travels & Tourism, Salmiya IndianModel School, Hyundai Electronics, Al-Yasra foods,Growmore, Easa Hussain Al-Yousifi & Sons Co, AashianaReal Estate Services, Al-Mailem Tires, American Tourister,City Center, Mughal Mahal, Al-Araab Global Telecom,Swiss-belhotel Plaza and Wataniya.

W H AT ’ S ONSUNDAY, MARCH 16 , 2014

Marina Hotel Kuwait launched itsmuch awaited poolside barbequenights in the presence of media

and senior management promising them apersonalised and entertaining experience.Guests were welcomed upon their arrival byGeneral Manager, Nabil Hammoud and themanagement of the hotel. Attendees weretreated to a relaxing evening with an arrayof delights from the BBQ grill, shisha andsweeping views of the city’s iconic estab-

lishments by the Arabian Gulf.The hotel’s spectacular settings, beautiful

landscape combined with the warm springweather reflects the ambience of the BBQdinner buffet. Guests were offered grilledselections from the sumptuous barbecuestation filled with especially marinated andseasoned varieties of succulent meats andchicken, fresh seafood a with rich variety ofseaside dishes and a delicious salad barwith the assorted breads. For the finale,

delectable desserts were served. Hammoud said: “We are delighted to

launch our BBQ nights. The beautiful weath-er proves to be the perfect setting forguests to enjoy our unique dining experi-ence with our specialties cooked with thefreshest possible ingredients. Every seasonwe receive a very positive feedback on ourBBQ Nights. There will also be an even big-ger variety of choices this year. With thelaunch of our Barbeque Nights, we would

like to offer our guests a scrumptious diningexperience at the pool side everyWednesday evening.”

The evening was further enhanced bythe sounds of soft oriental music whichcomplement the barbeque delights. TheBBQ lasted till after midnight and MarinaHotel ensured that each and every guesthad a truly memorable evening filled withfun and exceptional delight.

Guests can enjoy a delightful and very

pleasant dining experience with their familyand friends, surrounded by a warm and wel-coming ambience every Wednesday. Withlive oriental music and tantalizing shisha,the unique poolside location has a capacityto accommodate up to 150 guests at a timeand has a special area for groups and gath-erings.

— Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Marina Hotel Kuwait launches poolside BBQ every Wednesday night

T V PR O G R A M SSUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

VACANCY ON OSN MOVIES HD ACTION

THE LONGEST YARD ON OSN MOVIES COMEDY HD

00:10 Doctors00:40 Last Of The Summer Wine01:10 The Vicar Of Dibley01:40 Mistresses02:30 The Omid Djalili Show03:00 Stella03:45 Last Of The Summer Wine04:15 The Weakest Link05:00 Mr Bloom’s Nursery05:20 Balamory05:40 Nina And The Neurons05:50 Me Too!06:10 Mr Bloom’s Nursery06:30 Balamory06:50 Nina And The Neurons07:05 Me Too!07:25 The Weakest Link08:10 Last Of The Summer Wine08:40 The Vicar Of Dibley09:10 Eastenders09:40 Doctors10:10 Being Erica10:55 Call The Midwife11:45 Last Of The Summer Wine12:15 The Vicar Of Dibley12:45 Eastenders13:15 Doctors13:45 Being Erica14:30 Call The Midwife15:25 Last Of The Summer Wine15:55 The Vicar Of Dibley16:25 The Weakest Link17:10 Eastenders17:40 Doctors18:10 Being Erica19:00 One Foot In The Grave19:30 The Omid Djalili Show20:00 Stella20:50 Alan Carr: Chatty Man21:40 Extras22:10 Silk23:00 The Weakest Link23:45 Eastenders

00:00 Homes Under The Hammer00:50 Extreme Makeover: HomeEdition02:15 Come Dine With Me03:05 MasterChef04:05 Fantasy Homes By The Sea04:50 Extreme Makeover: HomeEdition06:15 Bargain Hunt07:05 Bill’s Kitchen: Notting Hill07:35 Food & Drink08:00 Extreme Makeover: HomeEdition09:25 Homes Under The Hammer10:20 Bill’s Kitchen: Notting Hill10:45 Food & Drink11:15 Rachel Khoo’s KitchenNotebook: London11:40 Come Dine With Me12:30 Gok’s Fashion Fix13:20 Fantasy Homes By The Sea14:05 Antiques Roadshow15:00 Homes Under The Hammer15:55 Homes Under The Hammer16:50 Bargain Hunt17:35 Cash In The Attic18:25 Antiques Roadshow19:15 Homes Under The Hammer20:10 Baking Mad With Eric Lanlard20:35 Baking Mad With Eric Lanlard21:00 The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook21:30 Come Dine With Me22:20 Antiques Roadshow23:15 Bargain Hunt

00:15 Reno 911!: Miami-1801:45 The Dukes Of Hazzard-1803:45 The Longest Yard-PG1505:45 The Holiday-PG1508:00 Toys-PG10:15 Damsels In Distress-PG1512:00 The Longest Yard-PG1514:00 Mrs. Doubtfire-PG16:15 Damsels In Distress-PG1518:00 The Naked Gun: From TheFiles Of Police Squad-PG20:00 The Impostors-PG1522:00 Reno 911!: Miami-18

01:15 Drift-PG1503:30 Olympus Has Fallen-PG15

00:40 Ten Ways01:30 Bang Goes The Theory02:00 Food Factory02:25 How Tech Works02:50 Stuck With Hackett03:15 Stuck With Hackett03:45 Killer Robots: Robogames201104:35 Thunder Races05:25 Through The Wormhole WithMorgan Freeman06:15 Food Factory06:40 How Tech Works07:05 Engineered08:00 Nyc: Inside Out08:50 Man-Made Marvels China09:40 Food Factory10:05 How Tech Works10:30 Test Case10:55 Bigger, Better, Faster,Stronger11:25 Engineered12:20 Thunder Races13:10 Through The Wormhole WithMorgan Freeman14:00 Killer Robots: Robogames201114:50 Bang Goes The Theory15:20 Food Factory15:45 How Tech Works16:10 Junkyard Wars17:00 Through The Wormhole WithMorgan Freeman17:55 Thunder Races18:45 Engineered19:35 Test Case20:00 Bigger, Better, Faster,Stronger20:30 Space Voyages21:20 Deadliest Space Weather21:45 Deadliest Space Weather22:10 Food Factory22:35 How Tech Works23:00 Space Voyages23:50 Deadliest Space Weather

01:00 Atlas Shrugged-PG1503:00 The Wild Girl-PG1505:00 Muhammad Ali’s GreatestFight-PG1507:00 Wrecked-PG1509:00 Atlas Shrugged-PG1511:00 Another Harvest Moon-PG1513:00 Taken Back: Finding Haley-PG1515:00 The Key Man-PG1517:00 The Good Doctor-PG1519:00 Hyde Park On Hudson-PG1521:00 Texas Killing Fields-PG1523:00 This Must Be The Place-18

01:15 Surveillance-1803:00 The Last King Of Scotland-1805:30 Intolerable Cruelty-PG1507:15 Hold Fast-PG1509:00 Alfie Boe: Bring Him HomeTour-PG1510:30 Someday This Pain Will BeUseful To You-PG1512:45 Earth-PG1515:00 Offline-PG1517:00 Someday This Pain Will BeUseful To You-PG1519:00 L’amour C’est Mieux A Deux-PG1521:00 Arbitrage-PG1523:00 Savages-18

00:00 Knuckle-PG1502:00 Gambit-PG1504:00 Snowflake , The WhiteGorilla-PG06:00 Dating Coach-PG1508:00 The Greatest Movie EverSold-PG1510:00 Charlotte’s Web-PG12:00 Gambit-PG1514:00 Barnyard-PG16:00 The Greatest Movie EverSold-PG1517:45 Iron Man 3-PG1520:00 Killing Them Softly-1822:00 The Possession-PG15

01:00 NRL Premiership 03:00 NRL Premiership 05:00 NRL Full Time05:30 Futbol Mundial06:00 Trans World Sport07:00 Trans World Sport08:00 LV Cup10:00 Golfing World11:00 World Golf ChampionshipHighlights12:00 Super Rugby14:00 Super Rugby16:00 NRL Premiership 18:00 World Golf ChampionshipHighlights19:00 Golfing World20:00 PGA European Tour Weekly 20:30 Inside The PGA Tour21:00 Trans World Sport22:00 LV Cup

00:30 Manhunt01:20 Survive That!02:10 Yukon Men03:00 You Have Been Warned03:50 Border Security04:15 Auction Kings04:40 Container Wars05:05 How Do They Do It?05:30 How It’s Made06:00 Sons Of Guns07:00 You Have Been Warned

00:00 Chelsea Lately00:30 The Spin Crowd00:55 The Spin Crowd01:25 Style Star01:50 Style Star02:20 E!ES03:15 Extreme Close-Up03:40 Extreme Close-Up04:10 E!ES05:05 E!ES06:00 THS07:50 Fashion Police09:15 Opening Act10:15 Married To Jonas10:40 Chasing The Saturdays11:10 The Drama Queen12:05 Fashion Police13:35 E!ES14:30 Style Star15:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians16:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians17:00 The Wanted Life17:30 Hello Ross18:00 E! News19:00 Fashion Police20:30 E!ES21:00 The Drama Queen22:00 Eric And Jessie: Game On22:30 E! News23:30 Chelsea Lately

00:00 Golfing World 01:00 Premier League Darts 04:00 LV Cup 06:30 NRL Full Time07:00 NRL Premiership 09:00 NRL Full Time09:30 Dubai World Cup Carnival 13:00 Trans World Sport14:00 Golfing World 15:00 World Golf ChampionshipsHighlights 16:00 Snooker 19:00 NHL21:00 HSBC Sevens World Series 23:00 HSBC Sevens World SeriesHighlights 23:30 PGA European Tour Weekly

00:15 Vacancy-1802:00 My Soul To Take-PG1504:00 Crimson Tide-PG1506:00 Men In Black 3-PG08:00 Ultraviolet-PG1510:00 F/X-PG1512:00 Special Ops-PG1514:00 Ultraviolet-PG1516:00 Grosse Pointe Blank-PG1518:00 Special Ops-PG1520:00 Jarhead-1822:00 Grosse Pointe Blank-PG15

00:00 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody00:20 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody00:45 Sonny With A Chance01:05 Sonny With A Chance01:30 Suite Life On Deck01:50 Suite Life On Deck02:15 Wizards Of Waverly Place02:35 Wizards Of Waverly Place03:00 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody03:20 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody03:45 Sonny With A Chance04:05 Sonny With A Chance04:30 Suite Life On Deck04:50 Suite Life On Deck05:15 Wizards Of Waverly Place05:35 Wizards Of Waverly Place06:00 Austin & Ally06:25 Dog With A Blog06:45 Suite Life On Deck07:10 A.N.T. Farm

07:35 Wolfblood07:55 Gravity Falls08:20 That’s So Raven08:45 Jessie09:05 Good Luck Charlie09:30 Shake It Up09:55 Austin & Ally10:15 A.N.T. Farm10:40 Dog With A Blog11:05 Suite Life On Deck11:25 Jessie11:50 That’s So Raven12:15 Hannah Montana12:35 Hannah Montana13:00 Good Luck Charlie13:25 Austin & Ally13:45 A.N.T. Farm14:10 Jessie14:35 Dog With A Blog15:00 Good Luck Charlie15:25 Gravity Falls15:50 Austin & Ally16:10 Violetta17:00 Liv And Maddie17:20 Liv And Maddie17:40 Mako Mermaids18:10 Good Luck Charlie18:30 Jessie18:55 Dog With A Blog19:20 Violetta20:05 Jessie20:30 Good Luck Charlie20:50 Dog With A Blog21:15 Gravity Falls21:40 Shake It Up22:00 Austin & Ally22:25 A.N.T. Farm22:50 Good Luck Charlie23:10 Wizards Of Waverly Place23:35 Wizards Of Waverly Place

00:30 The Daily Show With JonStewart01:00 The Colbert Report01:30 The Big C02:00 South Park02:30 Out There03:30 Raising Hope04:00 Seinfeld04:30 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon05:30 Seinfeld06:00 Two And A Half Men06:30 Arrested Development07:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers08:00 Seinfeld08:30 Seinfeld09:30 The Crazy Ones10:00 Trophy Wife10:30 Arrested Development11:00 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon12:00 Two And A Half Men12:30 Seinfeld13:00 Seinfeld13:30 Arrested Development14:00 Raising Hope14:30 The Crazy Ones15:00 Trophy Wife15:30 The Daily Show With JonStewart16:00 The Colbert Report16:30 Two And A Half Men17:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers18:00 The Simpsons19:00 The Mindy Project19:30 Modern Family20:00 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon21:00 The Daily Show With JonStewart21:30 The Colbert Report22:00 Veep22:30 South Park23:00 Out There23:30 Late Night With Seth Meyers

00:00 Warehouse 1301:00 Mistresses02:00 The Killing03:00 World Without End04:00 Grey’s Anatomy05:00 The Fosters06:00 Warehouse 1307:00 Drop Dead Diva08:00 Switched At Birth09:00 The Killing10:00 The Fosters11:00 Grey’s Anatomy12:00 Emmerdale12:30 Coronation Street13:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show14:00 Switched At Birth15:00 Warehouse 1316:00 Emmerdale16:30 Coronation Street17:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show18:00 Switched At Birth19:00 Twisted20:00 Scandal21:00 House Of Cards22:00 American Horror Story :Coven23:00 World Without End

00:35 House Gift01:30 Emmerdale02:25 Coronation Street02:55 Holiday: Heaven On Earth03:25 Agatha Christie’s Marple05:15 Ade In Britain06:10 House Gift07:05 Holiday: Heaven On Earth07:30 Agatha Christie’s Marple09:20 Ade In Britain10:15 May The Best House Win11:10 Emmerdale12:00 Coronation Street12:30 House Gift13:25 Ade In Britain14:20 May The Best House Win15:10 Holiday: Heaven On Earth15:35 Trevor Mcdonalds Queen &

00:00 Made In Jersey01:00 Good Morning America03:00 Nip/Tuck04:00 Rescue Me

01:00 The Missing Lynx02:45 The Legend Of Sarila04:30 Free Birds06:00 Olentzero Christmas Tale08:00 Emperor’s Secret09:45 Sky Force11:15 Mrs. Doubtfire13:30 The Legend Of Sarila15:00 The Fantastic Adventure OfThe Ugly Duckling16:30 The Elf Who Stole Christmas18:00 Sky Force20:00 The Water Horse: Legend OfThe Deep22:00 The Fantastic Adventure OfThe Ugly Duckling23:30 The Elf Who Stole Christmas

00:30 Big Bash League Highlights01:30 Big Bash League Highlights02:30 Big Bash League Highlights03:30 ICC Cricket 36004:00 India v West Indies ODIHighlights05:00 India v West Indies ODIHighlights06:00 New Zealand v West IndiesODI Highlights07:00 Big Bash League Highlights08:00 Big Bash League Highlights09:00 Big Bash League Highlights10:00 ICC Cricket 36010:30 New Zealand v India ODIHighlights11:30 New Zealand v India ODIHighlights12:30 New Zealand v India ODIHighlights13:30 New Zealand v India ODIHighlights14:30 New Zealand v India ODIHighlights15:30 ICC Cricket 36016:00 Australia v England ODIHighlights17:00 Australia v England ODIHighlights18:00 Big Bash League Highlights19:00 Big Bash League Highlights20:00 Big Bash League Highlights21:00 ICC Cricket 36021:30 ICC Under 19 World Cup2014 Highlights22:30 ICC Under 19 World Cup2014 Highlights23:30 ICC Under 19 World Cup2014 Highlights

00:00 Duck Dynasty00:30 Duck Dynasty01:00 Storage Wars01:30 Storage Wars02:30 Storage Wars03:00 Storage Wars Texas04:00 Duck Dynasty04:30 Duck Dynasty05:00 Storage Wars06:00 Pawn Stars06:30 Storage Wars07:00 Storage Wars Texas07:30 Counting Cars08:00 Storage Wars Texas09:00 Ancient Aliens10:00 Storage Wars Texas10:30 Counting Cars11:00 Pawn Stars12:00 Storage Wars12:30 Storage Wars13:00 Storage Wars Texas13:30 Storage Wars Texas14:00 Ancient Aliens15:00 Storage Wars15:30 Storage Wars16:00 Storage Wars Texas16:30 Storage Wars Texas17:00 Storage Wars Texas17:30 Storage Wars Texas18:00 Pawn Stars18:30 Pawn Stars19:00 Storage Wars19:30 Storage Wars20:00 Storage Wars Texas20:30 Storage Wars Texas21:00 Duck Dynasty21:30 Duck Dynasty22:00 Pawn Stars22:30 Storage Wars23:00 Swamp People

07:50 North America08:40 Fast N’ Loud09:30 Border Security09:55 Auction Kings10:20 Container Wars10:45 How Do They Do It?11:10 How It’s Made11:35 Manhunt12:25 Survive That!13:15 Yukon Men14:05 Border Security14:30 Auction Kings14:55 Container Wars15:20 Finding Bigfoot16:10 Fast N’ Loud17:00 Ultimate Survival17:50 Wheeler Dealers18:40 You Have Been Warned19:30 Sons Of Guns20:20 How Do They Do It?20:45 How It’s Made21:10 Auction Kings21:35 Container Wars22:00 Dynamo: MagicianImpossible22:50 The Big Brain Theory23:40 Mythbusters

Country16:30 Endeavour18:20 May The Best House Win19:10 Coronation Street19:35 Trevor Mcdonalds Queen &Country20:30 Endeavour22:20 Coronation Street22:50 Emmerdale23:45 May The Best House Win

05:00 Good Morning America07:00 Emmerdale07:30 Coronation Street08:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show09:00 2410:00 Emmerdale10:30 Coronation Street11:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show12:00 Castle13:00 Made In Jersey14:00 Live Good Morning America16:00 2417:00 Castle18:00 Made In Jersey19:00 2420:00 Castle21:00 Made In Jersey22:00 Rescue Me23:00 Nip/Tuck

05:30 Now Is Good-PG1507:15 Girl In Progress-PG1509:00 Midnight In Paris-PG1511:00 Olympus Has Fallen-PG1513:00 Magic Journey To Africa-PG1515:00 The Odd Life Of TimothyGreen-PG17:00 Midnight In Paris-PG1519:00 Red Dawn-PG1521:00 The Bling Ring-1823:00 The Campaign-18

Festival brings 13plays including‘Rupert’ to DC

Rupert Murdoch is getting the cabaret treat-ment in a new play about his 60 years build-ing a newspaper and television empire. As a

media mogul with strong ties to Australia, GreatBritain and the US, Murdoch’s story is helping toopen a major international theater festival inWashington. The new play “Rupert” from theMelbourne Theatre Co made its US premiereWednesday after a successful run in his nativeAustralia. The production is part of the “WorldStages” festival organized by the Kennedy Centerfor the Performing Arts that lasts throughout Marchwith short runs of 13 different plays and two read-ings of new works, representing every continentbut Antarctica. It’s an ambitious undertaking withmore plays in one month than many theaters stagein an entire year.

“Rupert” is a funny, cabaret revue-style showwhere the media mogul jokes, tap dances and nar-rates his own story from his first small newspaperediting job in Australia to the creation of Fox Newsand the phone-hacking scandal at his tabloids inthe United Kingdom. Australia’s ambassador to theUS attended the opening in Washington, alongwith guests of the embassy in the Washington the-ater crowd. Australian playwright David Williamsonsaid he wanted to explore how Murdoch becameone of the most powerful voices in the world. Healso wanted to look at his personality and tacticsmixing news, commentary and political opinion inmedia. Williamson said he lets “Rupert” argue forwhy he’s been a force for good, and Murdoch thenarrator throws in a few jokes about TheWashington Post and jabs at CNN.

“It’s up to the audience to work out whetherthey agree with his arguments or not,” Williamsonsaid. “We thought it was better to do it that waythan to finger point and say this is an evil man.” Still,Williamson said he finds Murdoch’s influence andvast media ownership in Australia to be dangerous.He said he read nearly everything ever writtenabout Murdoch in writing the play. The story fol-lows Murdoch’s journey from being an Australian,then English, then an American - and his influenceon politics in each country.

Changed political climateWilliamson said he was eager to bring the play

to the US, in part because “Fox News has changedthe political climate of the whole nation, in a way.”Plans call for the production to travel next toLondon and perhaps other US theaters after that.Some members of Murdoch’s family saw the play inAustralia and gave the playwright mostly positivefeedback. Murdoch has not seen the play yet,Williamson said. The US production is nearly identi-cal to the original. “There was a feeling that per-haps the American audience won’t be interested inthe Australian political history, but to us, it wasimportant to show how he first came to exercisepower over governments back in Australia,”Williamson said.

The festival also includes theater companiesfrom Brazil, Chile, China, Iraq, Mexico and 14 othercountries. Many works are being shown in the USfor the first time. “I think it’s an opportunity for us toshare with our audiences work that they mightnever see otherwise,” said Alicia Adams, the festi-val’s curator at the Kennedy Center. The produc-tions from each country represent “the best direc-tors, the best artists and the best writers” Somehighlights include a new production of “AMidsummer Night’s Dream” with puppets andreuniting the team behind the Tony Award-winningplay “War Horse.” The production comes from theBristol Old Vic theater and South Africa’sHandspring Puppet Company.

An Israeli theater production features 11 actorswho are all deaf and blind telling a story of theirinner world through the process of making breadon stage in “Not by Bread Alone.” By the end, theactors invite the audience on stage, Adams said.Four art installations at the center also look at thecreative process behind theater. There’s an exten-sive display of more than 50 puppets from theHandspring Puppet Company of South Africa,showing the progression from drawings and earlypuppets to the large horse puppet, Joey, from “WarHorse.” Another installation features sketches forcostume designs from “Wicked,” “The Lion King” andother American theater productions. The festivalruns through March 30. — AP

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY(13/03/2014 TO 19/03/2014)

SHARQIA-1RED SKY (DIG) 1:00 PMLAMO AKHZA (DIG) (Arabic) 3:30 PMRED SKY (DIG) 5:30 PMLAMO AKHZA (DIG) (Arabic) 7:45 PMLAMO AKHZA (DIG) (Arabic) 9:45 PMRED SKY (DIG) 11:45 PMNO SUN+TUE+WED

SHARQIA-2300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG-3D) 12:45 PMMR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG-3D) 2:45 PMMR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG-3D) 4:45 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG-3D) 6:45 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG-3D) 8:45 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG-3D) 10:45 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG-3D) 12:45 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

SHARQIA-3NON-STOP (DIG) 1:45 PMFORCE OF EXECUTION (DIG) 4:00 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 6:00 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 8:15 PMFORCE OF EXECUTION (DIG) 10:30 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 12:30 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

MUHALAB-1300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 1:30 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 3:30 PMRED SKY (DIG) 5:30 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 7:45 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 9:45 PM

MUHALAB-2RED SKY (DIG) 1:30 PM

RED SKY (DIG) 3:45 PMLAMO AKHZA (DIG) (Arabic) 6:00 PMLAMO AKHZA (DIG) (Arabic) 8:00 PMRED SKY (DIG) 10:00 PM

MUHALAB-3MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG-3D) 1:00 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 3:00 PMMR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG-3D) 5:15 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 7:15 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 9:30 PM

FANAR-1NON-STOP (DIG) 12:45 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 3:00 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 5:15 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 7:45 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 10:00 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 12:15 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

FANAR-2MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG) 1:30 PMMR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG) 3:30 PMLAMO AKHZA (DIG)(Arabic) 5:30 PMLAMO AKHZA (DIG)(Arabic) 7:30 PMLAMO AKHZA (DIG)(Arabic) 9:30 PMLAMO AKHZA (DIG)(Arabic) 11:45 PMNO SUN+TUE+WED

FANAR-3RED SKY (DIG) 12:30 PMRED SKY (DIG) 2:45 PMRED SKY (DIG) 5:00 PMBEWAKOOFIYAAN (DIG) (Hindi) 7:15 PMRED SKY (DIG) 9:45 PMRED SKY (DIG) 12:05 AM

Kuwait

ClassifiedsSUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Arrival Flights on Sunday 14/3/2014Airlines Flt Route TimeJAI 574 Mumbai 00:10JZR 539 Cairo 00:40THY 772 Istanbul 00:45QTR 1084 Doha 00:55RJA 642 Amman 01:05DLH 637 Dammam 01:10PGT 858 Istanbul 01:30ETH 620 Addis Ababa 01:45GFA 211 Bahrain 02:10THY 764 Istanbul 02:15JZR 267 Beirut 02:30UAE 853 Dubai 02:35ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 02:45JAI 576 Kochi/Abu Dhabi 02:50MSR 612 Cairo 03:10CLX 792 Luxembourg 03:40QTR 1076 Doha 03:45FDB 067 Dubai 04:00KAC 544 Cairo 04:20THY 770 Istanbul 05:35DHX 170 Bahrain 05:40QTR 8524 Doha 05:45FDB 069 Dubai 05:50JZR 553 Alexandria 06:05BAW 157 London 06:40KAC 412 Manila/Bangkok 06:45KAC 206 Islamabad 07:40QTR 1086 Doha 07:50FDB 053 Dubai 07:50KAC 382 Delhi 07:55KAC 302 Mumbai 07:55KAC 352 Kochi 08:10SVA 512 Riyadh 08:15KAC 332 Trivandrum 08:15UAE 855 Dubai 08:40KAC 362 Colombo 08:45KAC 284 Dhaka 08:50ABY 125 Sharjah 09:00ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 09:20FDB 055 Dubai 09:40QTR 1070 Doha 09:55IRA 603 Shiraz 10:35GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40JZR 165 Dubai 11:30MEA 404 Beirut 11:55IRC 6507 Shiraz 12:05SYR 341 Latakia 12:10UAE 871 Dubai 12:50JZR 561 Sohag 12:55MSR 610 Cairo 13:00KAC 742 Dammam 13:30KAC 774 Riyadh 13:30FDB 057 Dubai 13:50

QTR 1078 Doha 13:55KAC 672 Dubai 14:00SVA 500 Jeddah 14:30KNE 472 Jeddah 14:35GFA 221 Bahrain 15:00KAC 788 Jeddah 15:10IRC 6666 Ahwaz 15:15QTR 1072 Doha 16:40UAE 857 Dubai 16:40ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 16:50RJA 640 Amman 16:55UAL 982 IAD 17:05SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15ABY 127 Sharjah 17:25GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30AFG 415 Kabul 17:45JZR 777 Jeddah 17:55KAC 542 Cairo 18:05RBG 553 Alexandria 18:15JZR 177 Dubai 18:20QTR 1080 Doha 18:40FDB 063 Dubai 18:45KAC 786 Jeddah 18:45KAC 502 Beirut 18:50KAC 618 Doha 19:00KAC 166 Paris/Rome 19:10AXB 393 Kozhikode 19:15KAC 674 Dubai 19:25GFA 217 Bahrain 19:30KAC 102 New York/London 19:35OMA 647 Muscat 19:55KAC 562 Amman 19:55FDB 061 Dubai 20:05JAI 572 Mumbai 20:10ABY 129 Sharjah 20:20MSR 606 Luxor 20:45KAC 514 Tehran 20:45DLH 634 Frankfurt 20:55ALK 229 Colombo 21:10FDB 071 Dubai 21:15MEA 402 Beirut 21:20ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:35UAE 859 Dubai 21:40GFA 219 Bahrain 21:45KAC 172 Frankfurt 21:45FDB 059 Dubai 22:00QTR 1074 Doha 22:00KLM 417 Amsterdam 22:05JZR 135 Bahrain 22:05UAL 981 Bahrain 22:10JZR 239 Amman 22:20AIC 981 Chennai/Hyderabad/Ahmedabad 22:30FDB 061 Dubai 23:00JZR 185 Dubai 23:20PIA 205 Lahore 23:55

Departure Flights on Sunday 14/3/2014Airlines Flt Route TimeUAL 981 IAD 00:05

AIC 976 Goa/Chennai 00:05AXB 490 Mangalore/Kochi 00:15JAI 573 Mumbai 01:10DLH 637 Frankfurt 02:10ETH 621 Addis Ababa 02:45THY 773 Istanbul 02:55PGT 859 Istanbul 03:20UAE 854 Dubai 03:50ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:00MSR 613 Cairo 04:10QTR 1085 Doha 04:15FDB 068 Dubai 04:40QTR 1077 Doha 05:15CLX 792 Hong Kong 05:45JZR 560 Sohag 06:20FDB 070 Dubai 06:30JAI 575 Abu Dhabi/Kochi 06:45JZR 164 Dubai 06:55RJA 643 Amman 07:05THY 765 Istanbul 07:05GFA 212 Bahrain 07:15QTR 8525 Doha 07:15THY 771 Istanbul 07:30FDB 054 Dubai 08:30BAW 156 London 08:45QTR 1087 Doha 08:50KAC 171 Frankfurt 09:10SVA 513 Riyadh 09:15KAC 787 Jeddah 09:25KAC 671 Dubai 09:30ABY 126 Sharjah 09:40UAE 856 Dubai 09:55KAC 117 New York 10:00ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:05KAC 773 Riyadh 10:05FDB 056 Dubai 10:20KAC 741 Dammam 10:30QTR 1071 Doha 10:55KAC 501 Beirut 11:10GFA 214 Bahrain 11:25KAC 541 Cairo 11:30IRA 602 Shiraz 11:35KAC 103 London 12:20JZR 776 Jeddah 12:25MEA 405 Beirut 12:55KAC 785 Jeddah 13:00IRC 6508 Shiraz 13:05SYR 342 Latakia 13:10JZR 176 Dubai 13:45MSR 611 Cairo 14:00UAE 872 Dubai 14:15KAC 561 Amman 14:30

FDB 058 Dubai 14:30QTR 1079 Doha 14:55KAC 673 Dubai 15:05KAC 617 Doha 15:15KNE 473 Jeddah 15:30SVA 503 Madinah/Jeddah 15:45GFA 222 Bahrain 15:45IRC 6667 Ahwaz 16:15KAC 513 Tehran 16:20JZR 238 Amman 16:55ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 17:35QTR 1073 Doha 17:40JZR 538 Cairo 17:50UAE 858 Dubai 17:50RJA 641 Amman 17:55ABY 128 Sharjah 18:05SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15UAL 982 Bahrain 18:20GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20JZR 184 Dubai 18:40AFG 415 Jeddah 18:45JZR 266 Beirut 18:50RBG 554 Alexandria 18:55JZR 134 Bahrain 19:10FDB 064 Dubai 19:25QTR 1081 Doha 19:40AXB 3944 Kozhikode 20:15GFA 218 Bahrain 20:15KAC 283 Dhaka 20:30FDB 062 Dubai 20:45OMA 648 Muscat 20:55ABY 120 Sharjah 21:00KAC 361 Colombo 21:00JAI 571 Mumbai 21:10MSR 619 Alexandria 21:45DHX 171 Bahrain 21:50FDB 072 Dubai 21:55ALK 230 Colombo 22:10MEA 403 Beirut 22:20ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:20GFA 220 Bahrain 22:30KAC 301 Mumbai 22:35FDB 060 Dubai 22:40UAE 860 Dubai 22:50KAC 381 Delhi 22:50KAC 205 Islamabad 22:55KAC 351 Kochi 23:00KLM 417 Dammam/Amsterdam 23:05QTR 1075 Doha 23:10KAC 343 Chennai 23:15JZR 502 Luxor 23:30FDB 062 Dubai 23:40KAC 411 Bangkok/Manila 23:55KAC 415 Kuala Lumpur/Jakarta 23:55

No: 16106

CHANGE OF NAME

FOR SALE

SITUATION WANTED

MATRIMONIAL

Pakistani Punjabi speakingcoming from landlord fami-ly and working as DirectorServices in a company look-ing for Pakistani girl resid-ing in Kuwait for immediatemarriage. Fintas P.O. Box1476, Code 51015 / zaidi-formerdiplomat@hotmail.com(C 4661)12-3-2014

I, Taza, holder of IndianPassport No. K9682992have changed my name toMurtaza Shabbir HusainRaswala, residing atPartapur, Rajasthan.(C 4663)

I, Thopugunta Sudheerholder of Indian PassportNo. K7916639 change myname to Ali Haider Shaik,my address in India is N.T.R.Nagar, Chitvel, K.Kandulayaripalli, KadapaDist, AP, 516104. (C 4664)13-3-2014

2011 Toyota Camry, whiteexterior, mileage 76,000,price KD 3,450. Tel:99883645. (C 4666)

2013 Volvo SUV, brownexterior, mileage: 14,000,under warranty + 2 years,full insurance, price KD10,300. Tel: 97227376. (C4665)15-3-2014

Cooker Indesit gas 4 ringwith oven, Linen box, iron-ing board, cloths hang railwith shelf, dining table and4 chairs, sofa 3 seats, officedesk, office chair, bookcase.Personal trainer CPS withheart monitor, dock stationfor iPod, printer HP photos-mart, safe. Tel: 94400865.(C 4656)

Galant 2013, fully auto-matic, like new, done km13,600, doctor-owned, KD3,450 (price for new 5,450).Contact: 66572082. (C 4662)

I am looking for a job inaccounts & finance, myexpectation is between KD650 to KD 1000 dependingupon the position offered. I

have transferable residencyarticle no. 18 & also validdriving license. Kindly con-tact me by SMS with youremail ID on this no.66825635 to forward youmy CV. (C 4667)16-3-2014

SUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

The test of faith, the inquisition, the purging of the superficial: these issuestake hold at the very roots of your existence. Making peace with the past

and coming to terms with karmic debts are some of the issues that confront you as a newphase begins in your life. Failure to face these things can cause setbacks and put obstaclesin your path. Learn to look beyond the personal or you will get in over your head. You willprobably want to relax with friends this afternoon and you may find yourself involved in agroup game or sports activity. Make a strong effort to complete your food intake by atleast seven o’clock in the evening. This will help to improve your rest as well as your physi-cal appearance. A boost to the ego is within viewing distance.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

STAR TRACK

You might decide that now is the right time for taking a trip and if you hadplanned on it earlier in the year, it probably is. However, if you are just now deciding on atrip, it might be better to enter the planning phase. There is a yearning to broaden hori-zons and reach for the ultimate; perhaps some survival training before setting out acrossan unknown country or place would be a good thing. Survival shows have had a good runin the entertainment field and soon there will be some other immediate way to grab theaudience attention; for now, you may want to create a script around the vacation plan andthe interaction of the family or tour group. You enjoy a quiet evening at home but notwithout some special cooking from one of your special recipes.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Company or the opportunity to move into a new home or apartment willbring on a great reason to clear away and get rid of those things you have

never really liked much-an old couch, perhaps. This is a good time for a garage sale-what-ever the reason. Getting rid of the things that no longer serve a purpose for you could bean important step to creating a space for new things. Who knows one man’s trash couldbe another man’s treasure. Some of your items may bring monetary surprises. This is atime when the new and unexpected may figure in your living situations. You may becomebewildered by the action of another this afternoon-patience. When a young person hasproblems this evening, you will know just how to be helpful.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Everyone is ready for the day’s activities. This could include a painting partyor perhaps, a baby shower. You will find yourself looking forward to some

group project or some fun activity at this time. There is an opportunity to encourage oth-ers or to teach young people. This may open all sorts of opportunities to be the teacher tosome future successful writer or artist. There will be a healing between friends, if that isneeded. This is the time to relax and enjoy the friends or loved ones that are near you now.The responsibilities that you have had in the past will begin to ease. The loved one thatyou felt was discontented will become relaxed and receptive.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Leo (July 23-August 22)

The friendships you have will become more important to you now-a close-ness renewed. There is a feeling of knowing things without knowing how you know them.The mystical, the universal and the eternal are the things that stir your curiosity. Call it psy-chic; call it deja vu; it can be there when you call. This may involve reading a book or talk-ing to a friend that seems particularly insightful. Consider ordering a personal horoscopereading. Tend to personal business this afternoon and the evening can be yours. Thisevening presents great opportunities for enjoyment of your friends and young peopleand for having a good time. You appreciate your particular situation and enjoy supportfrom those around you.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

This is an excellent day to engage in discussions about philosophy, religionor the arts. You might enjoy attending a psychic fair or gathering friends to

read for each other. There is much conversation about a new or a newly revived healingmethod, relaxation method, meditation, etc. Visiting with friends and family members canbe enjoyed today-they seem to enjoy your company as well. Your timing should be perfectand those around you should find you most natural. Sympathy and understanding areemotional qualities that take on greater importance. It’s wisdom, not knowledge, thatcounts most. Coming to grips with the past or getting in touch with the mystical and thespiritual are the things that give you a sense of satisfaction and completeness.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

You could be seen by others as just the person to be put in charge of someproject requiring a conservative mind. There is a healing now in all avenues

of your life. Delayed issues will begin to get back on the road to a more positive move-ment. You may enjoy good relations with relatives today and there are opportunities tohave a special time with someone you love. This could mean a celebration of some sort isin order because there is much dancing and music. Your taste in art and appreciation ingeneral are heightened. Perhaps this is a good time to select furnishings, colors and thefiner things of life. Your sense of value is present. Romance and other things that tug at theheartstrings come your way as a new cycle begins.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

You may be expecting out-of-town company today and remember the dayswhen you were really young, waiting for favorite relatives or friends to

come and visit you and your family. Even if you are not expecting visitors, this is the typeof feeling that comes with the many goals you have set for yourself. It may be a difficulttime to relax. Write everything down that you want to accomplish and find one chore thatis the most urgent. Attack only one thing at a time. Before you know it, you will accomplishquite a lot. You will find others will pitch in and help if you really need them. This may cov-er anything from washing dishes to planting trees. Your inner resources are accented.Expect a sense of support and good will from those around you.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

Reports of new births at the zoo give you ideas for some poetry or musicthat could be shared with the world or just your friends. Because of this inspirational moodyou can carry through on some of you decorating ideas or rearranging some area of yourliving space. The positive currents are strong at this time and all sorts of good things hap-pen. It is not the time to begin new things but it can be the perfect time for enhancingwhat you have, complimenting the people in your life or putting a few old pictures in anew album. It would be safe to carry the new plants that you planted indoors to the out-side for a permanent planting . . . Sunshine is delightful. Happy birthday!

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

It is easy for you to delegate responsibility and today you lend a helpinghand to a friend that needs some sort of organizing. This could mean you

help with plans for a spur-of-the-moment wedding or a similar type of last-minute celebra-tion. You will attract more people to you than you believe possible at this time, so putthem to work performing useful chores. Nurturing the people you love helps you feelsecure. It is in people needing you that you feel useful and secure yourself. This eveningyou may find yourself serving the people that are the closest to you. You are entering intoa cycle of mental development that emphasizes the nurturing of loved ones, and they ofyou. You will find yourself feeling more secure and at ease with your life.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

CROSSWORD 488

ACROSS1. A lipoprotein that transports cholesterol inthe blood.4. Tarpons and ladyfishes.12. A sweetened beverage of diluted fruitjuice.15. Being one more than two.16. The act of severing.17. An informal term for a father.18. A guided missile fired from shipboardagainst an airborne target.19. Wild sheep of northern Africa.20. A republic in West Africa on the Gulf ofGuinea.21. A member of a Turkic people ofUzbekistan and neighboring areas.23. Swedish soprano who toured the UnitedStates under the management of P. T. Barnum(1820-1887).24. A barrier constructed to contain the flowor water or to keep out the sea.25. English theoretical physicist who appliedrelativity theory to quantum mechanics andpredicted the existence of antimatter and thepositron (1902-1984).26. Soft white semisolid fat obtained by ren-dering the fatty tissue of the hog v 1.29. A particular geographical region of indefi-nite boundary (usually serving some specialpurpose or distinguished by its people or cul-ture or geography).32. Torn down and broken up.33. A city in northern India.37. High quality grape brandy distilled in theCognac district of France.40. Weedy annual grass often occurs in grain-fields and other cultivated land.42. Leaves of the tobacco plant dried and pre-pared for smoking or ingestion.46. Choose and follow.47. (Hawaiian) A small guitar having fourstrings.48. Soreness and warmth caused by friction.50. A constitutional monarchy on the westernpart of the islands of Samoa in the SouthPacific.51. Open to or abounding in fresh air.54. An amino acid that is found in the centralnervous system.56. Not final or absolute.57. Able to read and write well.60. 30 to 300 gigahertz.62. An emotional response that has beenacquired by conditioning.63. Perennial having hollow cylindrical leavesused for seasoning.64. Remove with or as if with a ladle.66. Inflammation of the vertebral column.69. In a vessel with two hulls, an enclosed areabetween the frames at each side.73. A loose sleeveless outer garment madefrom aba cloth.74. Sexually exciting or gratifying.77. South African plant widely cultivated forits showy pure white spathe and yellowspadix.78. (Irish) The sea personified.79. A degree or grade of excellence or worth.81. The compass point that is one point northof northeast.82. A doctor's degree in education.83. Relating to the Elysian Fields.84. A notable achievement.

DOWN1. A Loloish language.

2. Portuguese explorer who in 1488 was thefirst European to get round the Cape of GoodHope (thus establishing a sea route from theAtlantic to Asia) (1450-1500).3. One of the jointed appendages of an ani-mal used for locomotion or grasping.4. Physicist honored for advances in solidstate electronics (born in Japan in 1925).5. A zodiacal constellation in northern hemi-sphere between Cancer and Virgo.6. Being or of the nature of an ovule.7. A tricycle (usually propelled by pedalling).8. A theocratic republic in the Middle East inwestern Asia.9. Deprive of by deceit.10. An associate degree in nursing.11. Moth having nonfunctional mouthparts asadults.12. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.13. (Irish) Mother of the Tuatha De Danann.14. Mild yellow Dutch cheese made in balls.22. A city in southern Turkey on the SeyhanRiver.27. A condition (mostly in boys) characterizedby behavioral and learning disorders.28. A native of ancient Troy.30. An awkward and inexperienced youth.31. King of Wessex whose military victoriesmade Wessex the most powerful kingdom inEngland (died in 839).34. Relating to or containing gnomes.35. Freedom from activity (work or strain orresponsibility).36. Double star 15.7 light years from Earth.38. A radioactive element of the actinideseries.39. Being one hundred more than two hun-dred.41. An associate degree in applied science.43. A midwestern state in north central UnitedStates in the Great Lakes region.44. A master's degree in fine arts.45. Used by northerners of Confederate sol-diers.49. A genus with one species that is a rapidlygrowing climbing vine with tuberous roots.52. Make an etching of.53. Burst or split open, as of flowers and seedswhen releasing pollen or seeds.55. According to the Old Testament he was apagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel(9th century BC).58. Of or relating to or characteristic of reli-gious rituals.59. In a wicked evil manner.61. A federally sponsored corporation thatinsures accounts in national banks and otherqualified institutions.65. Either of two large African antelopes ofthe genus Taurotragus having short spirallytwisted horns in both sexes.67. In bed.68. One of a set of small pieces of stiff papermarked in various ways and used for playinggames or for telling fortunes.70. Great merriment.71. A river in central Europe that arises innorthwestern Czechoslovakia and flowsnorthward through Germany to empty intothe North Sea.72. A loose material consisting of grains ofrock or coral.75. A run that is the result of the batter's per-formance.76. An affirmative.80. A radioactive gaseous element formed bythe disintegration of radium.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Challenging Mazes

34s t a r s

Daily SuDoku

It may be a good time to catch up on the personal paper work you want tocomplete-letters, budget, etc. This last week may have been just too hectic to keep upwith the little things you like to do. There is a major change of attitude from everyonearound you. Emotional issues are easy to understand. You will now, however, be able tomerge the emotional information you receive and process it from a step away-not soclose. What a stress relief! You may find yourself looking for a little romance today or atleast enjoying some emotional release. New clothes for the spring may need a few adjust-ments and you proceed to fix them, or prepare them for the tailor.

This can be a lucrative time for you financially, but there are risks as well asrewards-particularly with regard to taxes and debts. Some kind of healing

process is at work in your life: you isolate what doesn’t work, eliminate it and go on from there.Real insight into your own inner workings or psychology could surface today and in a manage-able form. You may be in the mood for deep and penetrating conversations or thoughts.Engaging in social activities is not the best of ideas at this time. Rather, look to close family andfriends for entertainment and communication. You may find that a love relationship deepens.Additionally, this is a time when your powers of creativity are strong. Arranging the living areaa little differently will help encourage relaxation.

inf or m at ionSUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

Ahmadi Sama Safwan Fahaeel Makka St 23915883Abu Halaifa Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd 23715414Danat Al-Sultan Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd 23726558

Jahra Modern Jahra Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 24575518Madina Munawara Jahra-Block 92 24566622

Capital Ahlam Fahad Al-Salem St 22436184Khaldiya Coop Khaldiya Coop 24833967

Farwaniya New Shifa Farwaniya Block 40 24734000Ferdous Coop Ferdous Coop 24881201Modern Safwan Old Kheitan Block 11 24726638

Hawally Tariq Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25726265Hana Salmiya-Amman St 25647075Ikhlas Hawally-Beirut St 22625999Hawally & Rawdha Hawally & Rawdha Coop 22564549Ghadeer Jabriya-Block 1A 25340559Kindy Jabriya-Block 3B 25326554Ibn Al-Nafis Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25721264Mishrif Coop Mishrif Coop 25380581Salwa Coop Salwa Coop 25628241

OphthalmologistsDr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223

Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT)Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426

General PractitionersDr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501

UrologistsDr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427

For labor-related inquiries and complaints:

Call MSAL hotline 128

Sabah Hospital 24812000

Amiri Hospital 22450005

Maternity Hospital 24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital 25312700

Chest Hospital 24849400

Farwaniya Hospital 24892010

Adan Hospital 23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital 24840300

Al-Razi Hospital 24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital 24874330/9

Kaizen center 25716707

Rawda 22517733

Adaliya 22517144

Khaldiya 24848075

Kaifan 24849807

Shamiya 24848913

Shuwaikh 24814507

Abdullah Salem 22549134

Nuzha 22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh 24814764

Qadsiya 22515088

Dasmah 22532265

Bneid Al-Gar 22531908

Shaab 22518752

Qibla 22459381

Ayoun Al-Qibla 22451082

Mirqab 22456536

Sharq 22465401

Salmiya 25746401

Jabriya 25316254

Maidan Hawally 25623444

Bayan 25388462

Mishref 25381200

W Hawally 22630786

Sabah 24810221

Jahra 24770319

New Jahra 24575755

West Jahra 24772608

South Jahra 24775066

North Jahra 24775992

North Jleeb 24311795

Ardhiya 24884079

Firdous 24892674

Omariya 24719048

N Khaitan 24710044

Fintas 23900322

Al-Madeena 22418714

Al-Shuhada 22545171

Al-Shuwaikh 24810598

Al-Nuzha 22545171

Sabhan 24742838

Al-Helaly 22434853

Al-Faiha 22545051

Al-Farwaniya 24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat 24316983

Al-Fahaheel 23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh 24316983

Ahmadi 23980088

Al-Mangaf 23711183

Al-Shuaiba 23262845

Al-Jahra 25610011

Al-Salmiya 25616368

GOVERNORATE PHARMACY ADDRESS PHONE

Plastic Surgeons

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf 22547272

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari 22617700

Dr. Abdel Quttainah 25625030/60

Family Doctor

Dr Divya Damodar 23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists

Dr. Esam Al-Ansari 22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan 22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians

DrAdrian arbe 23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin 2572-6666 ext 8321

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan 22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami 25343406

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly 25739272

Dr. Salem soso 22618787

General Surgeons

Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer 22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher 25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart

Dr. Adnan Ebil 22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada 22666300

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra 25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub 24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani 25654300/3

Paediatricians

Dr. Khaled Hamadi 25665898

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard 25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar 22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof 25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare 23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew 24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon

Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada) 25655535

Dentists

Dr Anil Thomas 3729596/3729581

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar 22641071/2

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed 22562226

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer 22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan 22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash 22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan 25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari 25620111

Neurologists

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri 25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan 25345875

Gastrologists

Dr. Sami Aman 22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly 25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali 22633135

Endocrinologist

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman 25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888

Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924

Physiotherapists & VD

Dr. Deyaa Shehab 25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees 22666288

Rheumatologists:

Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah 25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart

DR.Mohammes Akkad 24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital

Consultant Cardiologist

Dr. Farida Al-Habib 2611555-2622555 MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

Soor CenterTel: 2290-1677Fax: 2290 1688

info@soorcenter.comwww.soorcenter.com

Psychologists/Psychotherapists

PRIVATE CLINICS

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Kaizen center25716707

Afghanistan 0093Albania 00355Algeria 00213Andorra 00376Angola 00244Anguilla 001264Antiga 001268Argentina 0054Armenia 00374Australia 0061Austria 0043Bahamas 001242Bahrain 00973Bangladesh 00880Barbados 001246Belarus 00375Belgium 0032Belize 00501Benin 00229Bermuda 001441Bhutan 00975Bolivia 00591Bosnia 00387Botswana 00267Brazil 0055Brunei 00673Bulgaria 00359Burkina 00226Burundi 00257Cambodia 00855Cameroon 00237Canada 001Cape Verde 00238Cayman Islands 001345Central African 00236Chad 00235Chile 0056China 0086Colombia 0057Comoros 00269Congo 00242Cook Islands 00682Costa Rica 00506Croatia 00385Cuba 0053Cyprus 00357Cyprus (Northern) 0090392Czech Republic 00420Denmark 0045Diego Garcia 00246Djibouti 00253Dominica 001767Dominican Republic 001809Ecuador 00593Egypt 0020El Salvador 00503England (UK) 0044Equatorial Guinea 00240Eritrea 00291Estonia 00372Ethiopia 00251Falkland Islands 00500Faroe Islands 00298Fiji 00679Finland 00358France 0033French Guiana 00594French Polynesia 00689Gabon 00241Gambia 00220Georgia 00995Germany 0049Ghana 00233Gibraltar 00350Greece 0030Greenland 00299Grenada 001473Guadeloupe 00590Guam 001671Guatemala 00502Guinea 00224Guyana 00592Haiti 00509Holland (Netherlands) 0031Honduras 00504Hong Kong 00852Hungary 0036Ibiza (Spain) 0034Iceland 00354India 0091Indian Ocean 00873Indonesia 0062

Iran 0098Iraq 00964Ireland 00353Italy 0039Ivory Coast 00225Jamaica 001876Japan 0081Jordan 00962Kazakhstan 007Kenya 00254Kiribati 00686Kuwait 00965Kyrgyzstan 00996Laos 00856Latvia 00371Lebanon 00961Liberia 00231Libya 00218Lithuania 00370Luxembourg 00352Macau 00853Macedonia 00389Madagascar 00261Majorca 0034Malawi 00265Malaysia 0060Maldives 00960Mali 00223Malta 00356Marshall Islands 00692Martinique 00596Mauritania 00222Mauritius 00230Mayotte 00269Mexico 0052Micronesia 00691Moldova 00373Monaco 00377Mongolia 00976Montserrat 001664Morocco 00212Mozambique 00258Myanmar (Burma) 0095Namibia 00264Nepal 00977Netherlands (Holland)0031Netherlands Antilles 00599New Caledonia 00687New Zealand 0064Nicaragua 00505Nigar 00227Nigeria 00234Niue 00683Norfolk Island 00672Northern Ireland (UK)0044North Korea 00850Norway 0047Oman 00968Pakistan 0092Palau 00680Panama 00507Papua New Guinea 00675Paraguay 00595Peru 0051Philippines 0063Poland 0048Portugal 00351Puerto Rico 001787Qatar 00974Romania 0040Russian Federation 007Rwanda 00250Saint Helena 00290Saint Kitts 001869Saint Lucia 001758Saint Pierre 00508Saint Vincent 001784Samoa US 00684Samoa West 00685San Marino 00378Sao Tone 00239Saudi Arabia 00966Scotland (UK) 0044Senegal 00221Seychelles 00284Sierra Leone 00232Singapore 0065Slovakia 00421Slovenia 00386Solomon Islands 00677

INTERNATIONALCALLS

SUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

l if e s t y l eG O S S I P

Jamie Lynn Spears ties the knot

The 22-year-old actress and her fiancé James Watson, who have been engaged for a year, tied the knot last night at apark in New Orleans, according to E! News. Jamie’s sister Britney and her boyfriend David Lucado flew from LosAngeles to Louisiana yesterday so they could witness the happy pair become husband and wife. Meanwhile, the

duo sparked speculation they were getting hitched yesterday after it emerged they had obtained a marriage license fromTangipahoa Parish Clerk of Courts earlier this month. The couple filed for the document on March 5 and had just 30 daysfrom the date of issuance to wed before they would have had to apply for a new license. The blonde beauty announcedher engagement on Twitter last May by posting a snap of a stunning diamond sparkler on her ring finger. Jamie has beenengaged before when her ex-boyfriend Casey Aldridge popped the question in 2008. However, the former couple nevermade it to the aisle and their on/off relationship ended for good in 2010. Jamie also has four-year-old daughter Maddiewith Casey.

The hunky Irish actor - who has been cast as S&Mobsessed billionaire Christian Grey in the X-rated‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ movie - got his first taste of

fame in 2003 when he dated Keira Knightley for twoyears and was horrified by the way the A-list beautywas hounded like an animal by “perverted” snappers.He told the London Evening Standard newspaper: “Itwas a strange environment to find yourself in, beinghounded and followed. It’s really hideous. They arecretins. I couldn’t have less respect for those guys.“There are so many ways to make a living that don’tinvolve hiding in bushes opposite houses of 18-year-old girls with a camera in your hand. “That’s not makinga living, that’s making a choice to be perverted. Thatscrutiny when you’re older will be easier to take. And Idon’t think I’m ever going to be as famous as her.” Jamieis now happily married to actress-turned-musicianAmelia Warner, with whom he has a three-month-olddaughter, while Keira is hitched to The Klaxons musi-cian James Righton. The star admits he found it incredi-bly hard being taken seriously as an actor after workingas a model, famously posing in nothing but his under-wear for Calvin Klein. He said: “I mean hundreds of[failed auditions]. Some of them totally humiliatingexperience. People attach too much to the idea ofbeing a model, that you can only be a certain way tohave done it. “You will always be dealing with it. You’rean actor who used to be a model who never trained;there are not many directors queuing up.”

Jamie Dornan thinks paparazziculture is ‘hideous’

Michael Jackson accused ofbeating up his chimp

The late singer’s pet Bubbles was reportedly “being beaten” while in his car, and a leading chimpanzee expert insistedshe tried to intervene when she’d heard about the way he was being treated. Jane Goodall told TMZ: “I went to seehim and we talked about Bubbles. I ticked him off. “Bubbles is still alive and he’s beautiful, but when he was with

Michael he was being beaten ... Chimpanzees belong in the forest. By the time they are seven or eight they are danger-ous.” While Jane didn’t directly name the ‘Thriller’ hitmaker - who passed away in 2009 - as the abuser, the ex-husband ofthe star’s sister LaToya has claimed he saw the beatings first-hand. Jack Gordon said: “I saw Michael punch Bubbles in theface, kick him in the stomach.” The gossip website notes that sources from the singer’s camp have denied the claims, con-ceding there have been reports over the years of the chimp being treated like a king. Bubbles, 33, now lives in an animalsanctuary in Florida.

The ‘August: Osage County’ actress has revealed herchildren, nine-year-old twins Hazel and Phinnaeusand six-year old Henry, are currently coming to

terms with the fact their mother is part of the HollywoodA-list and have dozens of questions about her star status.She said: “They’re only just discovering it. My daughter,especially, asks a lot of questions that I find it hard toanswer modestly! She asked, talking about one of mybest friends, ‘Does Bonnie know you’re famous?’ “I said, ‘Ithink she knows’. ‘How did she find out, did you tell her?’She’s trying to solve an enigma, so she wants to know

how others figured it out.” Julia - who is married to cam-eraman Daniel Moder - didn’t feel the need to explain toher children she was famous or even show them her filmsuntil they started expressing a desire to understand herjet-setting lifestyle. She told France’s ELLE magazine:“They’ve just seen ‘Hook’, it was the first time they’ve seenme on screen. They’re still young, they weren’t curiousuntil now. My husband and I believe children will tell youwhat they want to know when they want to know it,regardless of the subject. They’re wise enough to take youwhere they need to go.”

Julia Roberts’ kids haverealized now she’s famous

The 40-year-old singer has been sin-gle since splitting from ThomasStarr, the father of her five-year-old

daughter Scarlet, in 2012, and admitsshe often forgets her own age when sheis checking guys out. She said: “It’s funny- I see all these beautiful young girls withamazing jobs and I’m like, ‘Where aretheir guys at?’ My problem is I’m going‘He’s quite cute’, to guys who are obvi-ously much too young for me. “Then Ilook in the mirror and go ‘Crap! I’m not25 anymore!’ “If someone came alongthat would be great. But I’m a mummyand my career is important to me.” Whileshe forgets she isn’t in her 20s anymore,she insists she is enjoying her life morenow than she did then. She added in aninterview with Now magazine: “Thebeauty of age is I’m more relaxed aboutthings now. My priorities changed whenI became a mum. The negatives are thephysical things, like wrinkles. Yuck! ButI’m honestly happier now than I was inmy twenties.”

Mel C is attracted to younger men

Allison Williams is a ‘perfectionist’

The 25-year-old actress can see some similarities between herself and her ‘Girls’ alter ego Marnie, though she insists she is trying tobe more relaxed. She said: “Marnie is a perfectionist and so am I. Playing her, I can see how it’s perfectionism and pride that pre-vents her from getting any peace. “I would call myself a perfectionist too - although I’ve let go of trying to be perfect. Will Marnie

get where she wants to get to? I hope so.” Allison also admits she often feels uncultured next to her co-star, the show’s creator LenaDunham, because her influences are so vast. She said: “Lena Dunham is an ‘old soul’. Her cultural references are from way before she wasborn. “They make me feel like I’ve never watched a film in my life. She has a wisdom and a gentleness to her.” Allison promised the newseries of ‘Girls’ will allow fans to understand her character more, thanks to the introduction of her mother, who is played by Rita Wilson.She told Britain’s Grazia magazine: “We understand Marnie’s character more clearly after meeting her mother. There’s a sense of, ‘Oh that’sMarnie’s mum. That’s why she’s so crazy!’ “This is supposed to be her support and her mum is a nightmare. I think until Marnie realizesthere’s a problem and she needs help, she’s in trouble.”

Jason Bateman swearsaround his 2-yr-old daughter

The 45-year-old actor allows himself to cursewhen he’s looking after Maple because she does-n’t understand, but he refrains from using bad

language when he’s with his other daughterFrancesca, seven. He explained to GQ magazine: “Itend to use as many [swear words] as I can think of. I

don’t do it around my seven year old, but I doaround my two year old, because she does-

n’t know what the hell I’m saying yet.”Meanwhile, the ‘Arrested Development’

star isn’t keen for Francesca andMaple, who he shares with his wifeAmanda Anka, to follow in his foot-steps and take on a career in acting.He said previously: “I want to help mykids navigate their careers but I don’t

want it to be in the entertainmentindustry. Acting is kind of an odd way

to make a living and I hope they’ll bedrawn to something other than that.”

Jason - who became a high-profile teen actorin the 1980s - believes acting can be a tough industryto crack and he doesn’t want his daughters having todeal with the disappointment that comes with it. Hesaid: “I want my daughters to be very passionate aboutwhat they want to do and to be very unapologeticabout wanting success in that field and sometimes inacting they sense you want it too much.”

SUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

l if e s t y l eG O S S I P

Sarah Jessica Parker believes ‘we’re not alone’The 48-year-old actress - who voices Kira Supernova, the wife of an alien who invades Earth in ‘Escape From Planet Earth’ - doesn’t think the descrip-

tions of other-worldly beings in TV and films are very accurate, but she is convinced there is life on other planets. Asked if she believes in aliens, shesaid: “No. Well, I don’t think we’re alone in the universe. But I don’t think aliens are how we have experienced them thus far on screen. “We discov-

ered that there may have been water elsewhere, and that was a massive and important discovery in the world of science, right? This suggests that some-thing benefited from the water. “But whether they wear funny outfits and they’re clever and they say snarky things to each other and have wonderfullybig sweet eyes? That, I’m dubious about. But I do enjoy the storytelling here on Earth.” The actress’ character in ‘Escape From Planet Earth’ gave up hercareer to raise a family and Sarah - who has three children, son James and twin daughters Marion and Tabitha, with her husband Matthew Broderick -thinks Kira’s story will appeal to many women experiencing the same “conflict” over their life choices. In an interview with The Guardian newspaper, Sarahsaid: “I think she has made some decisions, and she speaks to a way that maybe other women feel, you know? She’s left behind, and she’s maybe conflict-ed about those choices. And she becomes defensive. Do you choose work over family? I think that’s a position that a lot of women find themselves in. “Ithink, a little bit, this film tries to talk about what it’s like to remove yourself from your professional workplace and work from home as a parent. It’s sweet,it’s nicely done.”

Jamie Chung wants an‘intimate’ wedding

The 30-year-old actress admits she and fiancé Bryan Greenberg need to“work out” their nuptials as while she wants a small affair, the ‘One TreeHill’ actor favors the idea of a big celebration. She said: “He wants a big

blow out and I want to keep it intimate, so there’s certainly things we need towork out.” But the 35-year-old actor may get his wish as Jamie admitted Bryanis a better organizer than she is. She told People. “We’re equally excited...Actually, he’s better at planning parties than I am.” Though the couple haven’tset a date yet, the ‘Believe’ star knows who she wants to create her weddinggown. She said: “Monique Lhuillier is a designer I lust for. I saw her Fall 2014runway show and it was literally like an opera. I would love to wear one of herdresses!” Though Jamie and Bryan - who got engaged in December afteralmost two years of dating - spent a lot of time with one another, they refuseto go to the gym together. Jamie admitted: “He hates working out with me.Bryan says, ‘It’s so cheesy,’ so we’re not that couple.”

Lindsay Lohan labeled a ‘trainwreck’

Lindsay Lohan has been branded a “trainwreck” over her ‘2 Broke Girls’appearance. The troubled actress shot a guest appearance on the show onWednesday, but an unimpressed audience member said filming was a dis-

aster because the star repeatedly messed her lines. Writing on the Crazy Daysand Crazy Nights blog, the audience member said: “Lindsay was a trainwreck...you only want to watch so many collisions before you realize you have betterthings to do with your life. “[We, the audience members] are very familiar withevery single one of Lindsay Lohan’s lines and can repeat them all verbatim to youbecause we heard them so many times last night. There is not a member of theaudience who couldn’t do a better job than Lindsay Lohan did that night.”According to the audience member, producers even began changing Lindsay’slines to make it easier for her. The blog post continued: “Lindsay had a lot of trou-ble stringing together the various permutations required... the lines werereduced and reduced. “There was no point in trying to get it all right because itwas not going to happen.” And the insider hit out at the actress - who was cast asan indecisive bride who hires main characters Max (Kat Dennings) and Caroline(Beth Behrs) to make her wedding cake - for damaging her voice with smokingand claimed she has undergone so many wrinkle-freezing Botox treatments shewas unable to speak properly. The post added: “Lips so plumped out she couldn’treally get them open because of her Botox which also caused her to have troublepronouncing certain words. “Of course she won’t be able to pronounce anythingif she keeps smoking because her voice is rapidly disappearing into some type ofscreaming smoking raspy hell hole.” “There was a scene later on in the show thatrequired Lindsay to say the words Hawaii and Bahamas in succession. She could-n’t move her Botoxed muscles enough to get that combination down withoutpausing between each.”

Snooki has evil plansSnooki is planning to make her bridesmaids try on horrible dresses. The for-

mer ‘Jersey Shore’ star is determined to have perfect wedding when she mar-ries Jionni LaValle later this year, but she admits shopping for her big day

doesn’t always have to be serious. She wrote on her blog: “I’m also going brides-maid dress shopping next week with my maid of honor to pick out dresses for mygirls! My wedding colors are gold and black, so she will be trying on a million goldand black dresses. Dresses that I love, and dresses that are hideous just to give mea laugh. (sic)”. The 26-year-old beauty has decided on a ‘Great Gatsby’-themed cer-emony and, although she’s still got so much to plan in time for her wedding day,she insists she hasn’t had any “diva moments” yet. She explained: “I am SO excitedfor my fall wedding, and thank god the planning has not given me a headache yet.I’m happy to say I have not had any bride/diva moments yet! I don’t want to bethat kind of bride. I want a fun and loving bride, with no stress. I’ll let you knowhow that goes after the bridesmaids dresses. (sic)”. Snooki and Jionni have beenengaged since 2012, but decided to hold off on their wedding plans because theywanted to focus on their 18-month-old son Lorenzo.

Britney Spears had a ‘panicattack’ at an Oscars party

The ‘Perfume’ singer, who had a public breakdown in 2007, reportedly feltoverwhelmed at Sir Elton John’s AIDS Foundation Oscar-viewing party atWest Hollywood Park, and made a quick dash to the exit after just min-

utes of being in the room. A source said: “Britney was excited when she firstwent to the party but moments later she was fazed about being at such anover-crowded event. “She started to break out in a sweat and become short ofbreath, it was like she was having a panic attack.” The 32-year-old star shavedher head during a meltdown seven years ago and was photographed attackinga paparrazo’s car with an umbrella. Her breakdown led to her losing custody ofher sons Sean Preston, eight, and Jayden James, seven, to ex-husband KevinFederline, and the singer, who suffers from bipolar disorder, still has issuesbeing at parties. The source added to Closer magazine: “Britney still finds largecrowds nerve-wracking and doesn’t feel comfortable at showbiz events. “Thechaos of the red carpet and all the unfamiliar faces is very daunting. She man-ages to block out the crowd and put on an act when she’s on stage, but it’sharder when she’s socializing.”

Tom hardy thinks he would have been in jail

Tom Hardy thinks he would have ended up in jail if he hadn’t become an actor. The ‘Inception’ actor is currently one of Hollywood’s hottestproperties, but he admits his rise to the top was fraught with “desperation”, reckless behavior and addiction. He told Total Film magazine: “Iwas supported by an artistic family, a creative family, but my personal journey to becoming an actor was one of desperation. Like, ‘This boy

has to do something or he’ll end up in jail!’ “And I’m very, very fortunate to be here today. My own personal story is exactly that - personal. Butbecoming an actor was not very far from what I was doing, but now I’ve found a medium where I can channel that into more constructivemeans, which is art and acting. “As opposed to fantasizing and acting out in the world, and causing all kinds of mayhem - which I don’t do.” Thehandsome British star confessed he got ahead of himself when he started landing roles fresh out of drama school and soon got caught up withthe shady side of the film industry. The 36-year-old star candidly explained: “I was white-knuckling when I was younger. There are some peoplewho are more susceptible and less susceptible to stimulus. And I was very reactionary. I don’t have a lot of skin. I’ve learnt as I grow older to beless ‘jumping’ at everything. “I had a brief stint with the Americans, with Hollywood, the movie industry, with ‘Star Trek’. And the first year after dra-ma school, I had ‘Black Hawk Down’ and ‘Band of Brothers’, and then ‘Star Trek’. And I was like, ‘This is it! Straight out of drama school, here we go!’“But I had no idea of how to handle the industry, to interact with producers, executive producers, studios, even my fellow men! I was 24 - punch-ing way above my weight. And it’s taken being someone’s dad, being divorced, going to rehab, having mortgages, playing different characters,doing theatre, waiting and then it not happening.” The new issue of Total Film magazine is on sale now. —Bangshowbiz

SUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

l if e s t y l e

Comic ConventionChris Brown arrested,

held without bail

Chris Brown was arrested Friday and will be heldwithout bail on a warrant issued by probationofficials in the latest legal entanglement for the

R&B singer who has struggled to put his 2009 attackon Rihanna behind him. The warrant was issued bythe judge overseeing Brown’s case after he wasinformed Friday morning that the singer had beendischarged from rehab “for failure to comply withrules and regulations of the program.” No furtherdetails were released, but more information will bepresented to Superior Court Judge James R Brandlinwhen Brown appears in his courtroom tomorrowafternoon.

Sheriff’s officials said Brown was cooperative whenhe was arrested at a Malibu treatment facility wherehe had been staying and transported to a jail facilityin downtown Los Angeles. Brown had been orderedto remain in rehab for anger management treatment.A January letter from the facility stated that the singerwas also being treated for bipolar disorder, post-trau-matic stress disorder and past substance abuse.

An email sent to Brown’s attorney Mark Geragoswas not immediately returned. A probation spokes-woman declined to comment on what promptedBrown’s arrest. Brown’s probation for the Rihannaassault had been scheduled to end this year, but ajudge revoked it last year after Brown was arrested ona misdemeanor assault charge in Washington, DC.That case is pending.

Brandlin rejected a Los Angeles prosecutor’srequest to send Brown to jail because of theWashington case, citing his progress in rehab. He hasordered Brown to stop smoking marijuana and takeonly prescribed medications; the singer has not failedany drug screenings since the order was made. Inaddition to getting treatment, the singer remainedunder strict orders to complete 1,000 hours of com-munity labor this year. A probation report dated Feb26 stated that Brown had completed 250 hours andthat he was being cooperative with probation offi-cials.

Brown’s attempts at treatment have not beenwithout difficulties. A rehab center where Brown wasvoluntarily staying reported to Brandlin that thesinger threw a rock through his mother’s window dur-ing a joint counseling session in November. The judgethen ordered Brown to remain in treatment for anoth-er three months and renewed that order at a hearingon Feb 28. A probation officer interviewed Brown forthe February report, saying the singer was grateful tobe in rehab and “looks forward to staying out of trou-ble.” “He remains thankful to the court for the oppor-tunity to find out and learn more about himself, hisanger issues and the type of person he wants tobecome, which is a man who is able to better himselfand be a positive role model,” the report states. — AP

A visitor dressed as the Incredible Hulk collects his accreditation at the ComicConvention in east London yesterday. — AFP photos

Visitors dressed in “Predator” costumes attend the Comic Convention.

A visitor adjusts his character make-up. A visitor poses for a photograph during the Comic Convention.

For a guy who got his start in the ‘90s Britishrock ‘n’ roll scene, Damon Albarn sure knowshow to throw a hip-hop party. Albarn invited

De La Soul and Del The Funky Homosapien to join

him during his performance Friday night at SouthBy Southwest, pulling off one of the bigger surpris-es so far at the annual music conference and festi-val. De La Soul joined Albarn for their Gorillaz col-laboration “Feed Good Inc.,” before Del came onstage to perform initial Gorillaz single “ClintEastwood” for the first time since its release 13years ago.

“What can I say about them? They’re very dearfriends of mine,” Albarn said of De La Soul beforethe per formance. “But it ’s Del The FunkyHomosapien I’m most excited about. It is literallythe first time that not only have I met him, but he’sgoing to sing ‘Clint Eastwood.’ It’s actually quite amomentous moment.” And not just for Albarn, whoalso debuted songs from his new solo album“Everyday Robots,” out April 29. Those who both-ered to stick around after De La Soul’s high-spiritedappearance got a double surprise. Snoop Doggtook the stage at the Fader Fort, where the maga-zine is celebrating its 15th anniversary by invitingartists to perform who have appeared on its cover,contributing a surprise verse as well. Albarn saidSnoop’s appearance was meant to add “a littlecayenne” to the set.

Albarn’s music has increasingly featured hip-

hop and bass-inflected electronic music, and hesays he finds inspiration working with diverseartists from different musical worlds. “I’m more of afan of making it than listening to it,” Albarn said ofhip-hop. “I’ve got my favorites, A Tribe Called Questand De La Soul, and I suppose that first wave really.Mind you, I love Kendrick Lamar. That sort of excit-ed me again. Of course I love hip-hop but I’m nothip hop. It’s another aspect of the spectrum that Ikind of can hear the spirit of music in.”

Dave Jolicoeur of De La Soul said Albarn’s open-mindedness has led to a great friendship. “He’s acool dude who just likes to have fun and createmusic,” Jolicoeur said of the Blur frontman. “For us,that’s been our MO ever since Day 1, goofingaround, having a good time. There’s no real rules atall, but hopefully we get something out of this.That’s been the person that I’ve known, a guy whojust likes to create. There are no embarrassingmoments where you say, ‘You can’t do that, youcan’t say that.’ Just do what you’re doing, and befree.” — AP

In this file photo, R&B singer Chris Brown arrivesat a Los Angeles Superior Court for a probationreview hearing in Los Angeles. — AP

Gorillaz alums De La Soul, Del join Albarn at SXSW

Damon Albarn (right) is joined by De La Soul’s Vincent Mason while performingduring the SXSW Music Festival Friday March 14, 2014, in Austin, Texas. — AP

Lady Gaga makes an appearance during ZEDD’s (not pictured) performance at theiTunes Festival Showcase during the SXSW Music Festival Friday March 14, 2014, inAustin, Texas. — AP

Lady Gaga vowed to quit pop musicrather than compromise, detailing a dif-ficult year that included an underper-

forming new album during her much-antici-pated keynote session at South By Southweston Friday. Dressed in a gown made of plasticsheeting and wearing blond dreadlocks,Gaga spent an hour in a wide-ranging ques-tion-and-answer session that shed some lighton obstacles that included hip surgery, a splitfrom manager Troy Carter and widespreadquestions about her popularity.

“I refuse to compromise and allow my tal-ents to be monetized to the point that I don’twant to be here anymore,” she said. “I willstop, I will quit, I will retire from the commer-cial market if I have to do something otherthan be myself because if I can’t be myself inthis moment than everything I have said tomy friends since the beginning will be a total

lie. Then what? I’ll be myself until I have tomake money to sustain a luxurious lifestyle,and then I change, right? No, I’ll be myself tillthey (expletive) close the coffin so that youcan all be yourselves.”

The 27-year-old singer briefly discussedher 2013 tour-canceling hip surgery - she wasin a wheelchair for four months and has threescrews in her hip - and her messages to fansregarding difficulties she’s had with therelease of “ARTPOP,” which has only sold673,773 units since its November release,according to Nielsen SoundScan. (In 2011,Gaga’s “Born This Way” sold 1.1 million copiesin its first week; 660,000 copies were sold reg-ularly, and the rest through a 99 cents dealwith Amazon).—AP

The pioneers of hip-hop are hoping to cre-ate a museum in the Bronx dedicated tothe genre. Organizers say it would be

called the Universal Hip Hop Museum. AfrikaBambaataa says the museum would look at thehistorical and cultural roots of hip-hop and the

contributions made by break dancers and discjockeys. Bambaataa is frequently called thefather of hip-hop. He would serve as the muse-um’s chairman. The museum hopes to open in2017 inside the Kingsbridge Armory, which isbeing redeveloped into a national ice sports

center. The plan was announced at a news con-ference on Wednesday. Bambaataa says manypeople think of rappers when they hear theword hip-hop. But he says there’s a whole cul-ture and movement behind it. — AP

Hip-hop pioneers hopingto create NYC museum

Lady Gaga addresses difficulties in SXSW keynote

This combination of 2012 and circa 1860-1875 photos show hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons in New York and abolitionist Harriet Tubman. — AP

In this combination of 2013 and 1963 file photos, hip-hop artist Nicki Minaj performs in New York, and Malcolm X, civil rights activist and blackMuslim leader, holds a newspaper as he speaks at a rally in New York. — AP

SUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

l if e s t y l e

Aman who became known for claiming he wasthe sailor kissing a woman in Times Square in afamous World War II-era photo taken by a Life

magazine photographer has died. Glenn McDuffiewas 86. McDuffie died March 9 in a nursing home inDallas, his daughter, Glenda Bell, told The AssociatedPress. After World War II, McDuffie, who was born inKannapolis, NC, and moved to Houston in 1960,became a mail carrier and semi-professional baseballplayer.

But his life became more exciting about six yearsago when Houston Police Department forensic artistLois Gibson was able to identify him as the youngman leaning over the woman in his arms to kiss her.By taking about 100 pictures of McDuffie using a pil-low to pose as he did in the picture taken Aug 14,1945, by photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt, Gibsonsaid, she was able to match the muscles, ears and oth-er features of the then-80-year-old McDuffie to theyoung sailor in the original image.

“I was absolutely positive,” Gibson said of thematch. “It was perfect.” The identification remainedcontroversial, partly because other men also claimedto have been the sailor in the image, but also becauseLife magazine, whose photographer had died years

earlier, was unable to confirm that McDuffie was infact the sailor, noting Eisenstaedt had never gottennames for those in the picture.

Yet for McDuffie, Gibson’s word was enough. Awell-respected forensic artist who was in the 2005Guinness Book of World Records for helping policeidentify more suspects than any other forensic artist,Gibson said McDuffie was ecstatic when she told himthe results he had waited 62 years to hear. And sobegan a whirlwind lifestyle of going to air shows, gunshows, fundraisers and parties to tell his story. Womenwould pay $10 to take a picture kissing him on thecheek, Gibson said.

“He would make money and kiss women,” Gibsonsaid. “He had the most glamorous life of any 80 yearold.” McDuffie had told the AP he was changing trainsin New York when he was told that Japan had surren-dered. “I was so happy. I ran out in the street,” saidMcDuffie, then 18 and on his way to visit his girlfriendin Brooklyn. “And then I saw that nurse,” he said. “Shesaw me hollering and with a big smile on my face... Ijust went right to her and kissed her.”

“We never spoke a word,” he added. “Afterward, Ijust went on the subway across the street and went toBrooklyn.” Gibson’s daughter, Bell, said on anniver-

saries of the war’s end her father would recall thatmoment and the air of excitement in Times Square.For years it bothered him that he wasn’t identified asthe man in the photo, she said, and he turned toGibson for help to clear it up. “He wanted to do itbefore he died,” she said. McDuffie is survived by hisdaughter and two grandchildren. His funeral will beheld March 21 at the Dallas-Fort Worth NationalCemetery. — AP

Man who said he kissed nurse in Times Square photo dies at 86

In this file photo, Glenn McDuffie holds aportrait of himself as a young man (left)and a copy of Alfred Eisenstaedt’s iconic

Life magazine shot of a sailor, whoMcDuffie claims is him, embracing a nurse

in a white uniform in New York’s TimesSquare, at his Houston home. — AP

With her first solo album in two decades,Jennifer Holliday is on the comeback trail.But the singer, best known for her Tony-

winning performance as Effie in the originalBroadway production of “Dreamgirls” and the iconicrendition of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,”wasn’t always sure she wanted her career resurrect-ed. The spotlight had been difficult for her: She has

dealt with clinical depression, multiple sclerosis,went blind for three months, filed for bankruptcyand attempted to commit suicide on her 30th birth-day. She was dropped by her label when her weightwent up to 400 pounds.

“It was devastating for me as an artist and humanbeing,” said Holliday, also a Grammy winner. “Peoplesay you have a gift from God, but still saying, ‘No.’Things went terribly downhill. Not having a label,being overweight, music and life in limbo. Thosewere very hard times for me.” Big expectations wereset for Holliday’s career following her success with“Dreamgirls” in 1981. The singer’s 1983 debut album,“Feel My Soul,” which was produced by Earth, Windand Fire bandleader Maurice White, received posi-tive reviews. Two years later, her follow-up album,“Say You Love Me,” featured Michael Jackson as a co-writer and producer on the opening track, “You’rethe One.” But she was unable to generate any majorhits to boost her career as a solo artist.

Holliday believes she came up in the wrong eraof music when being overweight was unacceptable,especially during a time when music videos werebeginning to become popular. “The music industryturned (against) those of us who were real artists,”she said. “When I was with Geffen Records, I

weighed almost 400 pounds. The label told me that Ihad a great voice, but wasn’t marketable having aweight image. It’s not like today where Adele couldcome out, sing and be popular.”

Yet over the years, Holliday survived without pro-ducing another hit record. She had theater and sym-phony performances along with a recurring gueststar role on “Ally McBeal” and appearances on“Touched by an Angel.” She teamed up with the RevRaphael G Warnock for a joint gospel album,“Goodness & Mercy,” in 2011. “I’ve been able to workwithout a record,” she said. “So in some way, I got alittle comfortable. ... But music itself had changed.So, I didn’t see much purpose. But when it comes togetting your music out there or your story out, it’s alot easier.”

So at 53, Holliday has just released her sixthalbum, “The Song Is You,” released in late January.These days, she’s more at peace through her faithand prayer. She’s lost more than 200 pounds andtrimmed down 20 inches following gastric bypasssurgery in 1990 and years of living a healthierlifestyle. Holliday said appearing on “American Idol”with finalist Jessica Sanchez in 2012 breathed newlife into her music career.

“It fueled me a lot,” she said. “Even though people

Google me all the time, I didn’t want them to lookback so far to see some recordings of me. That factthat maybe I should be singing again.” WhenHolliday first returned to the studio, she felt like a“dinosaur.” It took some time to learn some of thecontemporary audio workstations such as Pro Tools,but eventually she became more comfortable.

Holliday has gotten more involved with socialmedia networks like Facebook, Twitter andInstagram. She had trouble at first because it washard for her to take the harsh criticism dealt her way.But in time, Holliday saw the benefits of promotingher music without a major record label. It gives herhope. “Back in the day, if someone at the record labeldidn’t care or like your music, it never got to thepublic. It just got shelved,” she said. “You can takeyour case to the public such as YouTube and otherforms of social media where they can vote on you. Ifnobody likes you, then that’s just fine. If 20 morepeople like you more than the other 10, then youhave a chance.” — AP

Original ‘Dreamgirls’ star makes comeback to music

This photo shows actress and singer Jennifer Holliday during an interview inAtlanta. — AP

Indian Bollywood actress Nargis Fakhri (center) showcases a creation by designer ShehlaKhan on the fifth day of the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) summer/resort 2014 in Mumbaiyesterday. — AFP photos

Models display creations by various Indian designers during the Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai, India, yesterday.

Lakm

e In

dia

Fash

ion

Wee

k

Indian Bollywoodfilm actressPrachi Desai

Bollywood actress Kalki Koechlin

Indian Bollywood film actress DiaMirza

It’s still chilly in much of the country, but stores are clearingout coats and sweaters to make way for spring’s bright colorsand lighter clothing. And if you’re looking to update yourwardrobe this season, you’ll need to know about a few keytrends: crop tops, high waists and wider legs in pants. Butdon’t panic just yet about the idea of wearing a top that may

not reach your navel. There are several ways to pull off the poten-tially midriff-baring trend - whether or not you have great abs, andeven if you prefer to dress on the conservative side.

“Crop tops are not the easiest thing to wear,” said HayleyPhelan, fashion features editor at Lucky magazine, acknowl-

edging that skin-baring styles are not always “appropriate” forwork or other situations. “But there are so many ways towear crop tops that we saw on the runway and that we

love at Lucky.” For example, you can layer a crop topover a blouse, Phelan said. Or wear a boxy crop top

over high-waisted pants or a high-waisted skirt,and don’t worry about revealing much skin.

“I would say a crop top is a must-have forspring,” Phelan said. “But make it one that

you feel comfortable in. With a boxiershape, you can wear it on multipleoccasions.” Another strong trend Lucky

editors noticed for spring is the“painterly print,” meaning “bold,

graphic brush strokes” and “art-inspired” designs, including

portrait art and actualfaces or flowers

appearing on gar-ments. “We sawfaces at Prada andflowers at Dior,” shesaid.Finally, get ready

for sandals and slidesthat are more hiker

than fashionista - what Lucky edi-tors call “the ugly shoe.” “It’s that kind of Birkenstock shape, oreven like Tevas,” Phelan said. “But that’s what’s cool about it -fashionable people wearing a fashionable outfit that’s puttogether, putting on these sandals.”

Overall, she said, the silhouette for spring is evolving frompast seasons: “It’s a tighter more form-fitting top but looser on

the bottom, with high-waisted baggier pants and wide-leggedculottes. It’s an interesting shape but what pairs perfectly withculottes is the crop top.”

John Bourgeois, who directs personal shopping in the Midwestfor Macy’s By Appointment, said the region is definitely seeing thelooser leg look. “Pants are a little softer this year,” Bourgeois said.“The fabrication is very soft and flowy and whimsical.” But becauseMidwest weather stays cold longer, spring fashion isn’t quite asbare as in warmer places. “Really trendy women find ways to incor-

porate jackets in their spring wardrobe because we have to layerhere into May,” said Farissa Knox, founder of the Chicago-based

website What R U Wearing?Moto jackets - short, slim-cut and zipper-front - are among

Chicago’s trendy spring items. White button-down shirts were iden-tified by both Dallas and Chicago retailers as a spring trend. In

Dallas, it’s a crisp look; in Chicago it’s an element in layering.Fashion-watchers in both cities also say they’re seeing black and

white combinations in outfits.Pink was cited as big for spring by retailers and shoppers in

Dallas, Chicago and - maybe less surprisingly - in tropicalMiami. “Women should look for pink in every shade,”said Ken Downing, fashion director of luxury chainNeiman Marcus, which has its flagship store in down-town Dallas. He added those varying shades of pinkcan be worn all in one outfit, and mentioned “denim

on denim” - shirt, jeans and jacket in various washes - asanother trend.

Exotic patterns - florals, animal prints and designs inspired bysnakeskin and crocodile skin - are also turning up around the country,while colors range from pastels to brighter, more saturated hues. InMiami, exotic prints are even turning up on sneakers, and it’s notunusual there to see men wearing the same bright colors and playfulpatterns as women. “Menin South Florida arenot afraid to wearprints or color,”said AnabelLlopis, seniordirector ofsales andmarketing atA v e n t u r aMall. — AP

38Chris Brownarrested, heldwithout bail

SUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014

These file photos fromvarious designers show-case this year’s springpick. — AP photos